Fragile Bonds
by Atherin Ashura
Summary: A silent walk home from school can change the outcome of so many paths. Fears arise, secrets that are closely guarded come to light and partnerships can crumble. But if one can survive through it, a brighter, more certain, tomorrow awaits.
1. Silence

**Author's Note:** Well, it's been an extremely long time since I've written any fanfiction. It's felt like eons since I've written anything for myself and others. To those that have been patiently waiting for me to update my other stories, I want to profusely apologize. I can't say that I have a good excuse for not updating. Life got in the way, I had a change in jobs, I lost interest in writing for a bit, and just recently, I've gone back to school. I'm currently working through my first student teaching seminar, so that definitely takes a big chunk of my time. Like, nearly all of it. But, just a few weeks ago, I found this really interesting anime/manga. I'll be honest here, I'm a bit obsessed with it at the moment. But this obsession has rekindled my desire to write some fanfiction again. I honestly don't know if I'll ever get around to my other stories, but we'll see. I can't make any promises that I will. In regards to this story, I can't promise any regular updates for it. Between work, school and student teaching, I don't have much free time to sit and write, but maybe this will be a good stress relief for me. This will probably be my longest Author's Note for this story, so, sorry for that!

 **Disclaimers:** I do not own Servamp or any of the characters. They belong to Strike Tanaka. I will be mainly following manga verse for this story. While I liked the anime (let's be honest, some of their interactions were fun to watch animated) I like the manga better. I feel that it gives the characters more depth, which means more for me to work with!

 **Story Description:** A silent walk home from school can change the outcome of so many paths. Fears arise, secrets are closely guarded and partnerships can crumble. But if one can survive through it, a brighter, more certain, tomorrow awaits.

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Chapter 1 Silence

The walk home from school was unusually quiet. The cultural festival had just finished up not too long ago, but Mahiru's mind was far from thinking about it. Sakuya had just vanished on him again after he had made him a promise to stop Tsubaki. He had also made a promise to himself. He needed to get stronger. Tsubaki was, unfortunately, way out of his league and looking for a fight was probably not the smartest of ideas right now. But…just how was he supposed to get stronger? What did he need to _do_ to become stronger? His gaze shifted slightly to glance at the small black cat that was sleeping on his shoulder before he focused on the path ahead of him again. He was sure that Kuro could help in that regard… _if he wasn't so freaking lazy!_ He could just hear the complaints and excuses if he were to bring it up. Servamp of Sloth indeed!

Mahiru sighed quietly. Even though he knew that it was going to be like pulling teeth, he would still have to ask Kuro once they returned home. He needed some kind of guidance to at least get him started. He just wasn't sure if he should try to cajole the vampire into helping him or try to wear him down until he agreed. Either way, he knew that he was going to need a lot of patience.

…

 _An image of Kuro rolling around on the floor playing video games and eating potato chips while completely tuning him out passed through his mind just then._

He could already feel a vein popping at just that thought alone. Scratch that…he was going to need the patience of a Saint and then some! Thank goodness it was the weekend. He was going to need all the time that he could get! He could see his apartment looming in the distance. They were almost home and he needed to come up with a plan of attack! Soon! Cajole? Or wear down? That was the question.

' _Arrgh! I feel like tearing my hair out! If I try to cajole him that will probably put him on alert that I want something from him, and then he'll probably just try to hide! But if I go heavy handed and try to wear him down until he agrees I face the very real, and serious, possibility of him being so mulish that we'd enter some kind of attrition! And then I'd still be no closer to getting help from him!'_

Before Mahiru knew it, he had already reached the stairs that lead up to his apartment and he was still no closer to figuring out which approach would be best! _'This is so not simple anymore!'_ he thought furiously. He had already reached his apartment and had automatically taken his keys out to unlock the door. _'I'll figure out what to do after dinner. No need to badger him before we've eaten,'_ he thought as he let himself in. He felt the slight weight leave his shoulder and heard the quietest of thumps behind him when he went to take his shoes off. He knew that Kuro was back in human form now and taking his own shoes off. Thankfully he didn't complain about it anymore. His uncle must have left again. Kuro wouldn't have risked changing if he had sensed or heard his uncle moving about. His thoughts were confirmed when he saw a note sitting on the table addressed to him.

" _Mahiru,_

 _I'm sorry for having to leave so suddenly! Something came up at work that I just could not ignore. I don't quite know when, exactly, I will be able to return home, but I will definitely remember to call before I do! Be good!_

 _-Love, Uncle Tooru_ _"_

' _Well…at least I don't have to worry about Uncle Tooru being around right now. That would only make trying to talk to Kuro even harder,'_ he thought as he went to set the note back down. Mahiru startled slightly when he suddenly felt the vampire standing right behind him and reading the note over his shoulder. "Damnit Kuro! Don't do that! At least make a little noise to warn me that you're right behind me next time!" he exclaimed as he turned to face his Servamp.

Kuro just gave him an unreadable, bored expression before he spoke up, "Are you going to close the curtains now or not?" he asked with his exhausted sounding voice.

Mahiru just groaned in exasperation but went to do so anyways. No need to give Kuro something to complain about so early in the evening after all. Usually he just waited to close the curtains until after he had prepared dinner, but his mind was elsewhere right now. Plus, he wanted to save his energy for the battle of wills that he was going to have with Kuro later. He could already tell that it was going to be exhausting on both sides.

Kuro just watched as his Eve went to close the curtains so then he could wander further into the apartment in human form. The fact that Mahiru hadn't put up any kind of fuss or fight over it told the vampire all that he needed to know. He sighed heavily before heading into the now darkened living room and slumped onto the couch. Now he knew for certain that Mahiru was going to ask him something that he was going to find extremely troublesome. His first heads up had been the fact that his Eve hadn't uttered a single word on the way back home. Oh, sure, at first Kuro had thought that it had had to do with that grungy joker, but when he had felt Mahiru's eyes on him, if only for a moment, he knew that it was going to be much deeper than that. He had paid more attention to Mahiru after that and had felt, and seen, Mahiru's every tense, tick and facial expression.

Yep…things were about to get so troublesome that he could just die.

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 **Author's Note:** I hope that all of you enjoyed the first chapter! It's a bit shorter than what I had wanted but, it just felt like the right place to cut it off. I do have the second chapter written up, but I'd like to start working on the third one before that one goes up. If you like, please leave a review! See you all in the next chapter!


	2. Thoughts

**Author's Note:** I want to thank all of you that have followed, reviewed or faved this story! I realize that I forgot to state that I will try to keep the characters as in character as possible. There may be some OOCness, but I'll try to keep that to a minimum. Anyways, here's the next chapter!

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Chapter 2 Thoughts

Kuro had flipped on the television shortly after he saw Mahiru head into the kitchen area. He listened to the news with half an ear. He was far more interested in trying to find out just how big of an annoyance it was that Mahiru was going to ask of him. Judging from what he could see Mahiru making for dinner, which happened to be homemade ramen, it was going to be extremely exhausting.

' _He's definitely trying to butter me up for something…'_ the vampire observed discreetly. He thought back to what had happened earlier that day. Other than chasing and speaking with that grungy joker the only other thing that had caught his attention was when Mahiru had called his name shortly after Sakuya had left.

\- Flashback –

 _Sakuya had just taken off and Mahiru had stood up and had shouted for him to wait. His back was facing Kuro, but the Servamp could hear him clearly. "Kuro! I've… I've gotta stop Tsubaki. No question. So…we_ _ **both**_ _need to be strong!"_

\- End Flashback –

Kuro sighed and slumped even further into the couch. Mahiru had looked, and sounded, so determined then. He had a pretty good idea now just what it was that his Eve was going to ask of him. But… He absolutely did not want to get involved any further. Nor did he want to fight. Period. Unfortunately, it seemed that his Eve did not share the same sentiments.

Well, when Mahiru came to ask him, his answer was going to be a big resounding **"No".** He was going to dig his heels in and resist Mahiru every step of the way. Normally he wouldn't have put so much energy and effort into something like this but… Well… He had his reasons.

Kuro's eyes flicked over to Mahiru when he heard him drop something. _'He must be nervous…'_ Kuro thought before his small frown grew a bit deeper. _'Nervous of what, though? He must already suspect what my answer will be, otherwise he wouldn't be making my favorite meal…'_ Kuro continued to watch Mahiru after that. His Eve looked pale, extremely pale. Kuro's red eyes narrowed slightly when he saw that Mahiru's hands were trembling a little bit. A twinge of worry surged through the vampire when he saw that. Something was definitely wrong. He quietly slipped off of the couch and wandered into the kitchen. Mahiru hadn't even noticed him, not even when he made sure that his bell jingled to alert his Eve that he was right behind him.

Kuro watched Mahiru for a moment after it was clear that he hadn't sensed nor heard him come up behind him again. His Eve was pale and trembling. His warm brown eyes had a faraway look to them. The vampire's red eyes found Mahiru's hands again. They were trembling the worst and he was holding a knife; not a good combination. Kuro sighed quietly and placed his hand over Mahiru's, holding it still so then he didn't accidentally hurt himself.

The effect was immediate. Mahiru flinched and tried to jerk his hand away, but Kuro's grip was stronger and he was able to hold his hand in place. Mahiru had turned to face Kuro and blinked when he saw his Servamp standing right there behind him. When had he even moved from the couch?

"Mahiru…?" Kuro questioned quietly. It was just his name, but Mahiru was able to detect several other inquiries just by Kuro's tone alone. _"Are you all right? What happened? Do you need to take a break? …Did I do something to upset you?"_

Mahiru just shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind a bit. "I'm all right, Kuro. I was just thinking about something and spaced out a bit. Nothing to worry about!" he said, smiling at his Servamp to try and reassure him that he was okay.

Kuro's narrowed eyes did not leave Mahiru's face. The Servamp of Sloth most certainly did not believe that Mahiru was all right for one moment. Mahiru's hands were still trembling, after all. He managed to pry the knife from Mahiru's hand a moment later, which just caused his Eve to look at him in confusion.

"Kuro? What're you doing? I haven't finished dinn-!" he started to exclaim, but Kuro just shushed him.

The vampire sighed internally. He was going to regret what he was about to do but… If he were to let Mahiru try to finish making dinner he was sure that his Eve would definitely hurt himself. And that would cause him even more trouble, as then he'd have to tend to the wound and then finish making dinner. "Sit down, Mahiru," he said as he steered him out of the kitchen and to the couch.

"But!" Mahiru tried to protest.

Kuro sighed loudly. "You're such a pain. If you try to finish, you'll end up hurting yourself," Kuro said as he turned to go back to the kitchen.

"Kuro…?" Mahiru asked in confusion. He had no idea what was going on or why Kuro had just basically kicked him out of the kitchen.

"It's troublesome, but I'll finish making dinner," the vampire said, sighing heavily as if doing just this one thing was going to actually kill him.

Mahiru could only blink and gape after the vampire. Had he… Had he just heard that correctly? _**Kuro**_ was going to finish making dinner? The laziest creature that he had ever met? The embodiment of sloth and all things that couldn't find the energy or motivation to do things was going to finish making dinner? He must have been dreaming. Yeah, that was it. There was no way that Kuro had just basically volunteered to do something without complaint or a threat hanging over him.

It wasn't until Mahiru heard the faucet being turned on that he snapped back to the present and knew that this was definitely not a dream. He was insanely curious as to what the vampire was doing. Did Kuro even know how to cook? Could he even work any of the appliances? His curiosity, and fear of his kitchen catching on fire, eventually won out and he worked his way back to the small kitchen area that his apartment had. A look from Kuro had him opting to take a seat at the kitchen table instead of fully going into the kitchen. Thankfully he could still see just what Kuro was doing, and jump in if he needed to!

The vampire had taken off his jacket, Mahiru realized. It was laying across the chair that he was sitting on, but Kuro didn't seem to mind that he was using it as a soft backing to his chair. Kuro looked to be finishing drying his hands, so that explained why he had heard the water running. Mahiru couldn't help but to fidget slightly when he saw his Servamp pick up the knife that he had been using to cut vegetables. _'I really hope Kuro at least knows how to cut veggies… I don't think I can watch,'_ he thought, as he tried to close his eyes. He was unable to look away, however, once he saw Kuro finish cutting up the vegetables that he hadn't gotten to. At least it looked like Kuro knew how to work a knife, it was just putting the rest of the dish together that was worrying Mahiru now.

He glanced back up to Kuro's face. He looked extremely bored and Mahiru was sure that if he didn't need both of his hands right now, he'd be using one to lean his head on. As much as Mahiru wanted to get back into the kitchen, it was killing him just sitting there and not being able to help, he knew that Kuro was not going to budge, even if he did find this a pain. The vampire had obviously seen through his attempt at appearing as if nothing was bothering him.

He couldn't help the small shudder that wracked through him as the memory of that…that _thing_ that came bursting through Kuro's back assaulted him again. It had been terrifying. He had honestly thought that he was going to die, and he probably would have had it not been for that strange antique dealer and the Servamp of Envy.

While he wanted to get stronger he didn't want to cause Kuro to lose control again. He realized now that he was responsible for what had happened. He had ignored Kuro's warnings, after all. And the next time it happened, there would probably be no one around to save him. He was afraid that if he did push Kuro too much, and ignored him again, it would happen again, and he could do without that. He wasn't scared of the vampire in the slightest. It was that _thing_ that lurked in him that was terrifying.

While lost in his thoughts, Mahiru never noticed the narrowed red eyes watching him closely. Of course, Kuro had no idea just what was troubling his Eve. The boy had gone pale again as he shuddered slightly. It definitely wasn't normal Mahiru behavior and the vampire had the sinking suspicion that he was the cause of it. He didn't know what exactly it was about him that was causing his Eve to act strangely, but he could sense that _something_ about him was setting him off. The question was…did he bother to find out? Or did he just ignore it and not trouble himself anymore and hope that Mahiru got over it? To honest, that second option was sounding pretty good right about now.

But…the fact that it was _him_ that was unsettling his Eve bothered him…if only a little bit. ... Okay, maybe it was bothering him a lot of bit. Yes, he thought that Mahiru could be quite irritating in certain instances, but the boy was still his Eve. Despite his best efforts, Kuro was starting to grow a bit fond of him. When he wasn't dragging him straight into trouble or nagging him about something or other, the boy had an easy going personality that made him relax just the tinniest of bits. It also didn't hurt that Mahiru seemed to be starting to care about him as well, since he seemed to be starting to understand his quirks and was starting to treat him as a person, and not a vampire or a monster, like in their first week living together. So, yes, Kuro was definitely starting to grow fond of his Eve, just a bit, mind you. They had only been in a contract for a few weeks now, but Kuro just wasn't ready to face Mahiru yet. He knew that something was going to come up where he would have to face him a little bit, he could feel it but… He just couldn't deal with it right now.

Kuro let his thoughts wander as he finished preparing dinner. Mahiru was still silent, but he was watching him curiously now. The vampire sighed quietly when he saw that. Good, at least he no longer looked pale and his trembling had stopped. Whatever it was that had been troubling his Eve had finally been pushed out of his mind, at least for now.

"What…do you want to drink, Mahiru?" Kuro questioned tiredly as he tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn as he pulled out a cola for himself. His question seemed to have startled Mahiru out of his thoughts.

"Oh! Umm...tea's fine," Mahiru replied.

After Mahiru had managed to push the thoughts of the monster that had come from Kuro out of his mind, as well as what he needed to do to make it up to the vampire for causing it to happen in the first place, he had taken to just watching his Servamp as he worked. _'Who knew that Kuro actually knows what he's doing in the kitchen. I hope he doesn't think that I'll let him out of preparing dinner every now and then now that I know he can do this!'_

Occasionally Mahiru would glace up at Kuro's face, but other than his eyes narrowing slightly or his perpetual frown deepening a bit, Mahiru couldn't get any sort of read on him at all. And even then, he knew that if he hadn't have been watching him so closely he would have missed those minute facial expressions. _'He's so hard to read… I wish that he'd open up a bit. I want to get to know him better, but he hardly ever talks about himself…'_ Mahiru thought with a sigh. It had been Kuro asking him what he wanted to drink that made him realize that the vampire had finished making dinner. "Oh! Umm…tea's fine," he heard himself reply. _'That was quick… I was expecting to be here for a while longer, since Kuro moves at a snail's pace when he's doing something other than playing video games.'_

It wasn't long after that that the vampire placed his tea and a bowl of steaming hot ramen in front of him before doing the same for himself, but with his cola instead of tea. Mahiru couldn't help but to stare slightly at the food that had been placed in front of him. It looked perfect, like it had just came straight out of a professional kitchen. He had been expecting to find everything just thrown in haphazardly and to have a sloppy meal placed before him. His Servamp had already started eating, and was conveniently ignoring the way that Mahiru was looking at him.

"Ah… I knew that this was going to be troublesome," Kuro said quietly when he finally stopped ignoring Mahiru and looked up to meet his gaze.

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 **Author's Note:** I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I've seen a fair few fics around where Kuro is depicted as being unable to do anything, which is absolutely fine in my books! I loved reading them and seeing how others portray him! But, I wanted to try something different. He's the Servamp of Sloth, which means that he's just extremely lazy, it doesn't mean that he can't do things in a decent fashion, it just means that he would rather not! Originally this chapter was going to be shorter than what is, but where I had stopped it originally didn't seem quite right, so I kept going. This means that I have yet to start the next chapter, but I have an idea for where it is going to go! If you're enjoying the fic so far, please leave a review, favorite or follow!


	3. Discussions

**Author's Note:** I just want to thank all of you that have reviewed, followed or faved this story! I love seeing them! I don't have much to say, so on to the next chapter!

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Chapter 3 Discussions

Mahiru just continued to stare at Kuro. He was still trying to process the fact that his lazy rescue vampire had been able to produce food that looked like this! He hadn't even had a taste of it yet! His first instinct was to start berating the vampire for never helping out in the kitchen when he could obviously make food like this but he stopped himself. _'No…that isn't the way that I should treat him. Yes, he's extremely lazy and he could have helped me earlier, but yelling at him is not going to put him in a good mood, nor will it help us in the future…'_ Mahiru thought before he glanced at his untouched ramen. He glanced back up to Kuro a moment later and really looked at him. The Servamp had gone back to quietly eating his ramen, but Mahiru could tell from his posture, which had slumped even further the longer he sat, that he was waiting _**to**_ be yelled at. He was expecting Mahiru to start yelling at him because he had kept this hidden from him. Kuro's eyes were hidden behind his bangs now, but Mahiru knew that if he could see them, they'd be shining in hurt. He wasn't sure why they would be, but it bothered him. _'I…I want to get stronger but… I want to get to know you even more than that, Kuro. I want you to be able to trust me enough that you'll open up to me… I want us to grow stronger together…'_ Mahiru's eyes widened slightly as he watched Kuro as he continued eating…continued waiting for him to start yelling… _'Oh! This is so simple… Why didn't I think of this before...?'_

"Kuro…this is pretty good. Why didn't you tell me that you weren't that bad in the kitchen?" Mahiru asked after he had taken a few bites of ramen. It was probably some of the best tasting ramen he had ever had, but he didn't want to startle the vampire too much. He had a feeling that his complimenting would do such a thing, and he had been right. Kuro had lifted his gaze and Mahiru was able to see the shocked surprise reflected in his red orbs. "It's good, Kuro," he repeated with a smile. He could tell that Kuro did not know just how to take this new development. The vampire probably already had his defenses up to weather his yelling, but this new tactic of his had completely thrown him off.

"…I can't deal with you right now…" was Kuro's reply as he hid his eyes again.

Mahiru continued to smile at him gently. "Kuro…I'm not angry with you. I'm just surprised is all. I didn't know that you knew how to cook. Why didn't you say anything earlier?" he asked again. He had now put the ball in Kuro's court. He knew that the vampire knew that if he replied with a "You never asked" it would open the field _**for**_ him to be able to ask all sorts of questions. Mahiru was pretty sure that Kuro wouldn't open himself up like that any time soon, so he was curious to see what kind of response that he would get in return.

It took a long few minutes before Kuro decided to stop ignoring him again and to answer him. "…You seemed to enjoy cooking…" was his response. It was feeble at best, but Mahiru let it slide. At least Kuro was speaking, and that was all that Mahiru wanted at the moment.

"Of course I enjoy cooking. I used to make things to bring to school for my friends all the time. It's nice to be able to share simple things like that with friends," Mahiru replied. "I can't do such things as much as I used to any more though… There's just so much that I have to do now that I don't have the time liked I used to… But, now that I have you, I'm able to make things and share them again," Mahiru replied with a smile on his face.

Kuro glanced back up to Mahiru when he heard him say that. There was a sharp tug on his heart when the vampire saw that his Eve was being sincere in his words. It had been an extremely long time since someone had looked at him like that. Try as he might, he couldn't squash the warm sensation that settled in his chest when he realized that Mahiru had called him a friend. It had been a long, _**long**_ time since someone had called him that, and the vampire found that he didn't quite know how to respond.

"You're such a pain," he sighed quietly, but without his usual annoyed tone.

Mahiru's smile widened at his words. He definitely felt that he had made the right decision this time. _'Kuro and I_ _ **will**_ _get stronger… But we can't do that if we don't trust each other. I haven't exactly been a very good partner to him in the past, but I'm going to try harder be that someone that he can depend on.'_

"Kuro…thank you…"

Mahiru watched as his Servamp shied away from him slightly. It was obvious to him now that Kuro probably had not heard too many nice words directed at him all that often, or at least not for a long time.

"For what…?" the vampire asked, looking a bit lost and bewildered.

"For taking care of me. Not just for today, but…for all of the times that you've looked out for me. I haven't really told you this before…and I need to start doing so more often. I seem to have forgotten lately that you're a person too…and that your feelings and thoughts on things matter just as much as mine. We're supposed to be partners after all," Mahiru replied.

Kuro continued to watch him after he had finished speaking. Mahiru still could not get any sort of read on his Servamp, but he hoped that he had been able to leave an impression on him. He watched as the vampire lowered his eyes again before he spoke up, "…would you really listen…to what I had to say, Mahiru…? …if I asked to run…would you run…?"

Mahiru's first impulse was to say that they couldn't just run away! But, he had just told his Servamp that he would listen to him. So, the answer was simple. "Yes, Kuro. If you asked for us to run, then we'd run. I'll admit, it'll be difficult for me to do so but…I also trust that you'd have a good reason for wanting to get us out of there," he replied.

He could tell by the look on Kuro's face that the vampire had adopted a "wait and see" policy. Kuro was probably thinking of all of the other times that he had asked Mahiru to get them out of some place or to run and him ignoring the vampire's words. Kuro wouldn't trust him completely until he took his words into consideration. It was a start and it was enough for now. He also knew that Kuro had not missed his words about trusting that the vampire would have a good reason for wanting to run. He had basically given Kuro the power in their partnership. The vampire would now make the important decision on whether they fought or if they fled. _'Kuro…I hope you don't see this as me being underhanded… I really do want you to trust me, and the only way that I can think of to do that is to give you some control over our situation.'_

"Oh! Hey Kuro, there's something that I've been meaning to ask you!" Mahiru suddenly blurted out. How could he have forgotten?!

Kuro sighed heavily when he heard that. _'And here I had thought that he had forgotten… I don't think I can take much more of this conversation.'_ He looked back up to Mahiru's eager face and couldn't help but to slump fully onto the table. He really, _**really**_ did not want to argue about training right now. He was just so exhausted. Mahiru's little speech had completely drained him. He was worn out both mentally and emotionally. He did not want to make any more decisions…but Mahiru had basically just shoved all of the responsibility on to him. But…how was he supposed to tell Mahiru to take it back? If he did, Mahiru would pry, and he could live without that. He'd…think of something…later…preferably before they got into another fight. _'Might as well get the yelling over with now,'_ he thought tiredly before speaking. "What…did you want to ask?" he sighed heavily. He really wasn't looking forward to this.

If Mahiru took any notice of his less than enthusiastic tone of voice he didn't give it any heed. "It's nothing really big but…I was wondering…where did you learn how to cook from anyways? The ramen that you made was really good!" the Eve said as he smiled at the vampire.

Kuro's exhausted gaze looked up at Mahiru in bewilderment. That had not been what the vampire had been expecting. He wasn't sure if the topic of training would come up at all now, but he'd still be on guard for it regardless. However, he now had a completely different dilemma. Was it safe to answer this question? It wasn't like Mahiru was prying too deeply and it was a rather valid question… He couldn't help but to yawn tiredly as his eyes met Mahiru's again. "…I know how to cook…because it was necessary… There didn't…always used to be instant meals," he replied. There, that was close enough to the truth that Mahiru wouldn't read too much into it.

A light bulb seemed to have gone off in Mahiru's mind. The exhausted vampire could see his eyes light up at that revelation. "That makes sense! You've been around for a really long time, right? I guess you would have to know how to cook if you didn't want to starve," the Eve said as he continued smiling. He was happy that Kuro was starting to tell him things, even if they seemed inconsequential. His smile suddenly fell from his face though, and that instantly put Kuro on alert. "Hey…Kuro…how did you…pay for things when you didn't have an Eve?" Mahiru suddenly asked. Somehow, he couldn't imagine Kuro working small odd jobs to obtain some money to pay for things like food but…he had been proven wrong before.

"Does it really matter?" Kuro asked back. Mahiru blinked in surprise when he heard the slight frostiness to Kuro's tone of voice. It was a clear warning that the vampire did not want to speak about the subject any longer.

As much as Mahiru wanted to push for answers, he was now really curious as to what Kuro was hiding, now was not the time to do so. "I guess not… I was just curious was all."

Kuro sighed almost inaudibly when he heard Mahiru drop the subject. He was certain that if his Eve found out he would be disappointed… Well, maybe not so much disappointed as he would be horrified. Mahiru had the habit of making a mountain out of a mole hill. He had just gotten up to place his bowl in the sink when Mahiru spoke up again, "You didn't _**steal**_ to survive, did you?!" he asked. Clearly Mahiru could not let this one go. Kuro sent a slight glare toward his Eve but didn't reply. "You didn't, right Kuro?!" Mahiru asked again a little more loudly this time. It was a valid question to Mahiru! After all, he had found Kuro helping himself the day that he had seen him in his human form for the first time!

Kuro sighed heavily before he flopped back down onto his chair. Mahiru was not going to let this one go. "Stealing sounds like a lot of work," was his exhausted reply. Was it so much to ask for Mahiru to shut up so then he could go and slink away to go to sleep?

"Then…what did you do to get food?" Apparently, it was too much to ask for.

"Mahiru…what…am I?" Kuro eventually asked him.

Mahiru blinked at the sudden question. His brow furrowed slightly in confusion as he answered, "A vampire. But I don't see wh-!" he started to say before his eyes widened at the implications. "You mean, you drank blood?! You didn't kill anyone, did you?!"

Kuro couldn't help the annoyed expression that crossed his face at that insinuation. "I don't even wanna drink _**your**_ blood! Why would I go after someone else? That's a crime!"

Mahiru sighed in relief at that response. However, it still did not explain just what Kuro did to get money when he was not bound to an Eve. "Then…just what do you do, Kuro?"

Kuro really did not want to answer. It was very tempting to just poof into his cat form right about now. At least then he could go and hide somewhere, even if it was uncomfortable to be in that form for long. Oh, he knew that Mahiru would eventually find him and badger him then, but at least he would get a break from this conversation. Glancing at Mahiru's concerned face crumbled his will to do that though. He sighed heavily again before he felt his bangs cover his eyes. "This has gotten so troublesome that I could just die…" he complained. The vampire paused for a moment before he finally decided to answer. "…I'm a vampire, Mahiru. I'm immortal…" he said in a soft tone. "Going without food…will not kill me…" he finished in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

Mahiru's eyes widened when his mind caught up to what Kuro had told him. _'He literally_ _ **starves?!**_ _But why?! That has to be more troublesome than finding some kind of work! …Right? No, I'm sure of that. So…there has to be another reason. …but…I've pried too deeply tonight to even entertain the thought of asking him why. I shouldn't have even pried this much to be honest…'_ Mahiru thought as he watched Kuro. The vampire was clearly exasperated and annoyed with him. He was also clearly done with this conversation and he was clearly done with him for the night. _'I guess…that was probably why I found you while you were in cat form. You had clearly not eaten for a long while and had finally run out of stamina… I guess that's also why I found you eating so much when I came home from school too…'_

This time when Kuro stood up from the table Mahiru didn't stop him. He watched as his Servamp placed his bowl in the sink and started washing it. Mahiru felt awful when he saw that. _'I've clearly dragged up some bad memories if he's actually washing his dishes without complaint…'_ Kuro must have realized what he was doing as well because he suddenly stopped and just looked blankly at the dish that he had been washing. After a moment he continued to wash it and when he finished he set it off to the side to dry. With his hands dried, Kuro shoved them into his pockets and silently started to make his way down the hall to the room that he was using. Mahiru hadn't been able to see the vampire's eyes since Kuro had told him that he basically starved when he didn't have an Eve. He was hurting and Mahiru knew that he was the cause of that hurt.

Kuro was about half way down the hall when Mahiru found his voice again. "Kuro…wait…" he said as he stood up from the table. He watched as Kuro slowly came to a stop. He didn't turn around to face Mahiru, but he hadn't completely ignored him either. Mahiru took a few steps closer to him, but still left Kuro some personal space. "…I'm sorry, Kuro… You clearly did not wish to talk about this…but I continued to pry anyways. …I didn't…mean to bring up any bad memories… I just…wanted to get to know you better…" he apologized.

Kuro didn't say anything, but Mahiru did see him nod slightly before he continued on to his room. Mahiru sighed guiltily. He wasn't quite forgiven. Kuro's body language told him that much. He'd leave Kuro alone for a little while before checking in on him later. He had just turned around to go and wash his own dishes when he heard a loud crash come from down the hallway. "Kuro!" he yelled when he reached the vampire's room. He flung the door open but was only assaulted with darkness. He quickly found the light switch on the wall before flicking the lights on…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Ahh, it's been a while since I've written a cliff hanger chapter. I forgot how satisfying it is to do so. I also just want to let everyone know that updates are now going to be when I find the time to write them up. It's back to student teaching for me! Don't worry about the next chapter taking too long to get out though, I do know where I would like for it to go, it's just sitting down and getting it written. If you're enjoying the fic so far, please leave a review, fav or follow! See you all in the next chapter!


	4. Forgiven

**Author's Note:** I want to first thank everyone that has reviewed, faved or followed this story! Seeing them really makes my day. I have to say, I was definitely channeling my inner Kuro while writing this chapter. I've felt so exhausted that I could barely concentrate. I think that it probably had to do with my mid-term that I had this week, but now that it's over, I'm starting to feel like myself again.

* * *

 **Chapter 4 Forgiven**

Kuro was glad that he had finally escaped from Mahiru and his probing. The subject matter wasn't too personal to him…he just didn't want Mahiru to know about that part of his life. …at least…that's what he told himself. Deep down, he knew exactly why the subject was hurting him so much, but it was something that he would rather not think about right now, if ever at all. He'd rather bury the memories deep within himself and never see them again if he was being honest.

He was finally before the door that led to the room that he was using. He was fully aware that Mahiru was still watching him with a guilt ridden expression. He sighed quietly. He wouldn't be able to stay angry at him for much longer. Anger was such an exhausting emotion after all. The vampire opened the door and stepped inside his dark room, closing the door behind him. He didn't bother with the light. He knew exactly where the bed was, and it was calling his name, despite the fact that it was still rather early in the evening. Maybe tonight would be the night where he finally obtained the item of his dreams; the perfect pillow. Mahiru had the annoying habit of waking him up right before he opened the chest that held his treasure. He hoped that he could actually finish his dream tonight. Kuro yawned tiredly before he started toward his bed and he had almost made it there when his foot caught on something and he fell. Usually he would have been able to catch himself, but when he tried to do just that, whatever he had tried to use to steady himself with ended up toppling right over and onto him, causing a huge racket.

Kuro gingerly rubbed the top of his head where whatever heavy item that had hit him had landed. He was vaguely aware of Mahiru running down the hall and calling his name, but before he could process anything more his lights were flicked on and he could see Mahiru standing in the doorway. Kuro could hear his Eve sigh in relief when he saw that there was no threat to him. It made that warm sensation seep back into his chest when he saw just how worried Mahiru had been about him.

It was only now that the both of them noticed just what else was in the room. It was no wonder that his foot had caught on something! Mahiru's uncle was clearly using this room for storage now. A lot of storage, Kuro noticed when he looked back to his bed to find it absolutely covered in boxes and other assorted equipment. Actually…it was a wonder that he hadn't run into anything before he had! There were boxes upon boxes filled to the brim with items, and all stacked up everywhere in the room!

"Kuro!" he heard Mahiru before he saw his concerned Eve right in front of his face. "Are you okay?!"

"Pipe down, man… You're too loud…" was his reply. His head was still a tiny bit sore, but the pain was nearly gone so he didn't give it too much thought… No, wait… "Ohh! The agony! A soft new pillow might help…" he tried to wheedle. He knew that by saying that Mahiru would relax some. He wasn't that hurt, after all.

Mahiru could only sigh in slight exasperation before speaking up again, "You're obviously fine…" he said before taking a look around the box ridden room. There was a worried expression on his face as he took everything in. Kuro could already see where this was going by the look on Mahiru's face. There was nowhere else to move all of these boxes. The room just wasn't big enough for them to move things around. The vampire sighed dejectedly when he concluded that he wouldn't get to sleep in his human form. Of course, Mahiru picked up on his depressing mood quickly enough. "Kuro? What's wrong? It's not like you don't have a place where you can sleep," his Eve said. He was clearly thinking of the cat basket that he had to use when Mahiru's uncle had been here.

"Ahh…it's uncomfortable to sleep in cat form… I'd much rather sleep like this," he replied with another yawn.

"I didn't know that… Why didn't you tell me?!"

"There wasn't any point…" Kuro replied. It had been moot up until now, since he had been able to use this room.

Mahiru groaned in annoyance. "If you had just told me, I would have pulled out our spare futon! You could have slept on that when my uncle had been here!"

Kuro yawned tiredly again, "He checked in on you every morning, Mahiru," the vampire replied. "Besides, how were you going to explain to him just why you had a strange boy sleeping in your room?"

Kuro had a point there, Mahiru had to admit. He could only imagine what his uncle would have said. …He probably would have asked a whole lot of embarrassing questions and said a whole lot of bad puns while he was at it.

"Well…if it really is that uncomfortable for you…I'll pull out the futon for you to use," Mahiru sighed. It was the least that he could do for Kuro after all. He still had a bunch of questions that he wanted to ask, but Kuro seemed to have gone back to his lazy self, indicating that he was going to probably ignore everything that Mahiru was going to say or ask. _'…His laziness might be a defense mechanism…'_ Mahiru thought as he pulled out the folded up futon from one of the closets. He glanced back at Kuro who was failing to stifle yet another yawn as he trailed sleepily behind him. _'Then again…he could really just be that lazy and unmotivated…'_ he concluded.

Kuro, for his part, idly watched as Mahiru pulled out the futon that he would be using for the foreseeable future. It did look nice and soft, so that was a huge plus. His anger from earlier had already left him, and so long as Mahiru didn't decide to pry again for tonight he would be all right. Besides, he really didn't have the energy right now to continue dealing with his Eve and his prying questions.

"Go get your spare clothes and pillow while I set the futon up, Kuro. You're not going to be able to use that room for a while, so it makes sense to just move your things into my room."

"…'Kay…" Kuro replied quietly as he crossed the hall to get his items from the box infested room. By the time that he returned, Mahiru had already set his new bed up on the floor and out of the direct path of the window. Good, he was ready for some much needed sleep.

Mahiru must have noticed he looked about ready to collapse because he spoke before Kuro could even begin to move toward the futon. "Kuro…you're going to bed already?" he questioned. It was still pretty early in the evening and Mahiru knew that on the weekends Kuro liked to stay up late and play his video games.

The Servamp watched his Eve for a moment after he asked him that question. He was utterly exhausted and it was getting hard for him to keep his eyes opened. However, he could see that Mahiru was still feeling extremely guilty about earlier and was likely going to try something to try and apologize. While he would much rather go to sleep he didn't want Mahiru to continue feeling guilty over something that he himself was already over. "I was going to but…what's up?" he asked as he tried, and utterly failed, to keep the creeping exhaustion from entering his voice.

Mahiru took notice of his tone and his face only took on a guiltier expression, if that was even possible. It was odd for Kuro to watch his Eve, who was usually so full of energy and so sure of himself, nervously fiddle with the hem of his shirt. "Well… I was hoping… …N-Never mind. You obviously want to sl—"

"Mahiru," Kuro interrupted suddenly. Mahiru stopped with the nervous fiddling of his shirt to look up at Kuro. The vampire sighed loudly when he saw that he had his Eve's attention again. Now…how was he going to put this… "Mahiru… I'm…not really angry…at you for prying… It's too exhausting of an emotion to feel for long, so… You're forgiven…Mahiru. …I don't…like seeing you like this…" Kuro said, mumbling the last part as he rubbed the back of his neck slightly.

His Eve looked at him with wide, slightly watery eyes. _'Ah hell…please don't let there be water works, please don't let there be water works, please…!'_ Before Kuro knew it, Mahiru was flashing him one of the biggest, and sunniest, smiles that he had ever seen on his Eve's face. _'I didn't know that he was_ _ **that**_ _worried about me staying mad at him…'_ the vampire thought. The next thing that Kuro knew, however, was that Mahiru had closed the distance between them and had him in a tight, almost crushing, hug. The vampire couldn't help but to go rigid at the contact, but Mahiru wasn't letting go. "Uhm…Mahiru…?" he questioned, his voice slightly muffled due to the fact that his Eve's shoulder was covering his mouth. All that the bewildered vampire got in response was for Mahiru to tighten his hold on him slightly.

Kuro sighed quietly before relaxing his body and patting Mahiru's back a bit awkwardly. He was better at soothing people while in cat form, not in human form. But…he could get used to this… Mahiru seemed to have the effect of making him relax and to forget about his worries (even if the brown haired boy was the cause of most of those worries in the first place!) "Mahiru…what was it that you were going…to ask me earlier?" Kuro eventually asked when it became obvious that his Eve was having no intentions of letting him go any time soon.

Mahiru released him suddenly and took a step back when the vampire reminded him that he had something to say to him. "Ah, well… I was thinking…since it's still kind of early… Do you want to go and get some ice cream? There's a shop that's not too far away from here that sells some really good ice cream. … I know that it's not much of an apology but…" he trailed off, unsure of just how to finish what he wanted to say.

Even though he was dead tired, Kuro didn't want to really disappoint Mahiru any more by saying "no". Besides, free ice cream was the best ice cream. "I suppose we can go… But you're buying me the largest serving that they offer," Kuro replied as he tried to muster up the energy needed to actually walk the distance to the ice cream parlor.

Mahiru just smiled at him in response. He had been expecting for Kuro to say something like that, and this time, he didn't mind. "If we wanna get there before it starts getting too crowded we need to leave now," Mahiru said, knowing that it would take his Servamp a few minutes to get his jacket and shoes on. He watched as Kuro's shoulders drooped as his posture shifted slightly. He was slouching again, clearly tired and ready for some Z's, but more than willing to accompany him for some ice cream. Mahiru was just glad that he had heard Kuro say that he was forgiven. It was a weight off of his mind and heart. He followed Kuro back into the living room so then they could get ready to leave and it wasn't long after that that the two were making their way back down the stairs of the apartment building.

The sun was still hanging low in the sky, so it wouldn't be long now before it started to get dark. Some movement behind him alerted Mahiru to the fact that Kuro had pulled the hood of his jacket over his face as far as it could go before shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "Kuro? I thought that you couldn't go out into the sunlight?" he asked. He had been expecting to feel the familiar weight on his shoulder once they had gotten outside.

"…Normally I would change into a cat, but the sun is almost gone… If I cover up…I can handle the weak rays…but just barely," Kuro replied.

"I guess I can understand that… I mean, earlier today you were able to change into your human form while sitting in the shade of a tree…"

"So long as we Servamps are out of direct sunlight…we can take on our human forms," Kuro answered with another yawn as they made their way down the street toward the ice cream parlor that was nearby. The remaining walk was done in companionable silence, and soon enough the ice cream parlor came into view.

"…it's too bright…" Kuro couldn't help but to complain when he saw the bright florescent lights surrounding the place. "…And it's too noisy," he added when they got closer and he could hear all of the people talking and laughing with their friends.

"You'll be fine. It's usually quieter around the outside patio. We'll just find a seat there, simple, right?" It wasn't as if Kuro had much of a choice in the matter, so he just followed after Mahiru. A quick scan of the menu showed that this place had his favorite kind of ice cream, and that alone was worth having to deal with all of the noise. He felt Mahiru elbow him slightly to get his attention, so he turned to see what it was that he wanted. "You go ahead and get our utensils, I'll wait in line and order for us. It's simpler this way."

Kuro walked off after that and went to get what they needed. When he turned back around to find Mahiru he spotted him finishing their order and paying for it. The vampire was glad that Mahiru had sent him off, the people in line were too loud for his tastes, and there were even more people starting to stream in. He supposed that since it was warming up outside and that summer was almost here, this place was going to fill up quickly. When he saw Mahiru pick up their order did he start to make his way over to where he was. He could see his Eve trying to make it toward the door to go outside, and he was almost to him when he heard someone shout for his Eve over the din of the crowd.

"Hey! Mahiru!"

A quick glance toward the voice showed Kuro that Mahiru's two friends, Ryuusei and Koyuki, were waving him over to their table. "What a pain…" Kuro sighed quietly. Before Mahiru could become conflicted on what to do, or drag him into something troublesome, Kuro had already made his way over to his Eve. It didn't take him long at all to quickly switch some of the utensils that he had grabbed for Mahiru with his ice cream that his Eve was holding. As he continued to walk past Mahiru, as he was heading outside to the patio area, he used one of the tails on his jacket to gently nudge Mahiru to go over to his friends. He knew that his Eve was watching him curiously after he did that, but right now he knew that his Eve needed to spend some time with them. They'd be able to keep him distracted enough for a little while at the very least.

"Mahiru!" they heard Ryuusei call again.

Mahiru's eyes softened slightly when he realized what Kuro was doing. He would have liked for all of his friends to meet, however, but it seemed that Kuro was not ready, nor willing, to intrude upon him and his friends. He couldn't help but to keep watch on Kuro as he made his way outside and found a place to sit that was actually pretty close to where Ryuusei and Koyuki were sitting inside. Once he saw Kuro find someplace to sit did he finally make his way toward his friends.

"Hey guys!" he greeted when he finally got to their table.

"What were you lookin' at? You see a cute girl or something?" Ryuusei teased as they took their seats.

"Wh-What?! No way! I just…thought I saw something was all," Mahiru couldn't help but to defend. It wasn't like he could tell them that he was watching to make sure that his vampire partner found a place to sit down!

Koyuki chuckled at their antics before speaking up, "So what're you doing here alone, Mahiru? You should have given us a call! We could have met up earlier!"

"Yeah, Mahiru. I know we see you in school every day, but it's been a long time since we've hung out together!" Ryuusei added.

"Sorry guys… I guess… I've just been a little bit busy lately," Mahiru replied sheepishly. _'I guess now I know why Kuro left to go outside…'_

Said Servamp was quite happily eating his cookies and cream ice cream out on the much quieter patio. Of course, he was also keeping an eye on Mahiru, but things seemed to be quiet. Well…not necessarily quiet per say, but he could tell that they would have a quiet night without fighting anyone. He was all for, and more than willing, to let someone else handle Tsubaki and the fighting that it entailed. He glanced in at Mahiru again to see him smiling and laughing with his friends. _'It's good to see him smile and laugh like this again. He needs his friends right now to get his mind off of everything,'_ the sleepy Servamp mused. Being with his friends was just the thing that Mahiru needed to get his pep back, even if it meant an exhausting weekend for Kuro. The Servamp continued to watch Mahiru and his friends as they continued to laugh and gesture about who knows what. _'…friends and family…are important to protect, huh…? …I know that, Mahiru, I really do…even if it seems that I don't… But sometimes…you can't protect everyone important to you… …it's a lesson…I hope that you never have to learn…Mahiru…'_ Kuro shook himself from his quickly depressing thoughts. There was no need to walk down memory lane, because that would only bring forth memories that he would like to keep buried and under lock and key.

Kuro had soon finished his ice cream, and while second helpings sounded good to him, he didn't want to brave the quickly growing crowd that was starting to swarm the place. Mahiru and his friends seemed to have no intentions of leaving anytime soon, so it was a good thing that he had managed to slip out one of Mahiru's portable game systems. He'd get to spend a relaxing evening playing games (without Mahiru nagging him about something or other) and Mahiru would get to spend his evening hanging out with his friends (and hopefully forget to scold him for bringing out a game system, not that Mahiru's scolding's have stopped him yet). It was a win-win situation in Kuro's books.

It was nearing eleven when Kuro noticed movement coming toward him. A quick glance showed that it was just Mahiru. Ryuusei and Koyuki were nowhere to be seen, so his Eve must have already seen them off. Kuro quickly paused and saved the game that he had been playing before putting the system away. Mahiru had reached the table that he had been sitting at by the time that he had finished doing that.

"Sorry Kuro. I didn't expect to see them here," Mahiru said as he looked guiltily at his Servamp. He had meant to spend the evening with Kuro to try and make it up to him for his blunder earlier that evening.

Kuro stood up and stretched out before responding. "You had fun though, right?" he questioned. After seeing Mahiru nod slightly to his question he spoke up again, "Then…that's all that really matters. …You needed your friends, Mahiru. You're the only one that's still…being too hard on yourself for what happened earlier."

Mahiru sighed quietly at that answer as they started the walk back home. "I know…Kuro. It's just…every time I try to do right by you, I seem to mess it up…"

"Mahiru…the fact…that you try is enough…" the Servamp responded. "Besides, sullen and sulky…are not good looks on you," Kuro yawned.

Mahiru felt his eye twitch slightly at Kuro's last statement. The vampire had been saying an awful lot of nice things tonight, he should have known that it would not last. The rest of their walk was in silence and they soon found themselves climbing up the stairs to Mahiru's apartment. Once inside, and their shoes had been taken off, was Mahiru starting to feel the exhaustion that continually plagued Kuro. Now that they were safely back home they could relax and finally get some sleep. Knowing that Kuro had wanted to go to bed four hours ago was enough to get Mahiru moving to check to make sure that everything was locked up for the night. As he was doing that he idly watched as Kuro made his way to the bathroom where he heard the shower being turned on a moment later. Kuro must have been too tired to deal with drawing up a bath for himself. In all honesty, Mahiru felt that he was going to follow Kuro's lead and take a quick shower himself once the vampire finished. It wasn't long before he heard the shower being turned off, nor was it long before he heard exhausted sounding cursing.

Mahiru had no real time to ponder just what Kuro was cursing before the door opened and the vampire stepped out. Ah…now he understood. Kuro had been so tired that he had forgotten to grab his night clothes before entering. Thankfully he had a towel wrapped around him as he made his way to their shared room. Mahiru could do without seeing anything, thank you very much. Lily had shown him enough skin to last him a life time, and he knew that Kuro wasn't doing this on purpose either. He'd grab his change of clothes in a few minutes, just to make sure that Kuro was clothed again. Once he was sure that it was safe did Mahiru go to retrieve his own night clothes. He still knocked on his closed door regardless, just to be on the safe side.

Kuro looked over to the door when he heard Mahiru knock. He was mostly dressed, he hadn't put on a shirt yet as he was still drying off, but he was almost done. "It's safe," he said in response to Mahiru's knocking.

His Eve came in a moment later and flashed him a goofy grin. "I guess you're pretty tired, huh?" he asked as he got his own things ready.

Kuro gave Mahiru an exhausted glare. He couldn't muster up any more energy for anything greater than that. The vampire finished drying his hair before slipping his black shirt on, and noticed that Mahiru was still watching him. "Don't you have something to do?" he asked tiredly, "…or did you like what you saw?" Kuro finished as some amusement crept into his voice.

His Eve spluttered before telling him off as he blushed furiously at the insinuation. "D-Don't channel Lily! We only need one Servamp that strips!" he cried out. Mahiru couldn't help but to glare at Kuro slightly before he went off to take his own shower. He knew that Kuro had only been teasing him, but still!

Kuro sighed quietly after Mahiru left before he flopped onto his back on the soft futon he was using. Today had been exhausting. He was ready for a new day, and that was saying something. By the time that Mahiru returned from his own shower, Kuro had already slipped under the blankets he had and had rolled over onto his side so that he was facing away from Mahiru. He was clearly fast asleep, despite the fact that the light was still on. It didn't take Mahiru long to follow suit, but before he closed his eyes, he whispered a "good night, Kuro" to the already sleeping vampire.

As he fell asleep, Mahiru never noticed the shadow that crept and danced in the corner of his room, nor did he notice as it loomed over both himself and Kuro as darkness claimed him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So, I have to say that this chapter went in a completely different direction than what I had planned. I had wanted to do something else, but I just could not get to the point that I needed to, to be able to write what it was that I wanted to. This chapter is the end result of me trying to get to that point, which I am now at. I've also noticed a pattern that I've been doing for this story, and I want to try and keep with that pattern if I can. This means that what I had wanted to write for this chapter, has been pushed back by another chapter. As I was writing, I, thankfully, came up with an idea to keep that pattern going. This is just a side note, because I know that I added in a few little scenes between Mahiru and Kuro, and I don't want to give anyone any hope or the wrong idea, but this fic will be _strictly_ friendship between the two. I also seemed to have left it on another cliff hanger, not my intention, but it works. If you're enjoying the fic so far, please leave a review, fav or follow! See you all in the next chapter!


	5. Into the Nightmare Part 1

**Author's Note:** I want to first thank everyone that's left a review, fav or follow! I love seeing them, and I love seeing that people are liking this story. This chapter is about as long as the last one. I had a lot to write about, and I hope that it leaves all of you wanting more! I will say, there may be some OOCness in this chapter, it felt like it to me, but I hope that it can be explained as you read through. I am glad that this chapter is finished, because I'm really looking forward to writing the next one.

* * *

 **Chapter 5 Into the Nightmare, Part 1**

The first thing that Mahiru noticed upon waking up was the fact that he was in a dimly lit room. It was difficult for him to make much of anything out, but there was one thing for certain; he was no longer in his bedroom. "Kuro?!" he called out frantically. Mahiru couldn't help but to start panicking a little when he heard nothing in response from his Servamp. It was deathly silent and the only thing that he could hear was his frantically beating heart. He could feel it beating so hard that it felt like it was going to burst from his chest!

' _Okay…calm down, Mahiru. Panicking will not help you get out of here. First, I need to find my way out of this room and then I need to find Kuro. We'll find some way to escape after we find each other,'_ he thought as he took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart. Once he felt that he had things a bit more under control did he look around the room that he found himself in once again. He couldn't see any visible windows or doors leading outside, and apart from where he was standing the rest of the room was blanketed in darkness. It did little to boost Mahiru's morale about getting out of this place. "Right… I won't get out of here by just standing around. Time to look for a way out," the Eve said to himself as he started to move toward one of the walls that he could vaguely make out.

As he approached it, however, Mahiru was able to faintly make out some kind of swirling black mist that covered part of the wall. He got a bad vibe from just looking at it, and he knew that he did not want to enter through it. He turned around, intent on trying a different wall, but startled slightly when he saw what was standing in front of him. There, swaying and dancing slightly in front of him, was the little cat-like creature that he had previously met when he had received his weapon. It's stitched mouth spread widely into a grin that made Mahiru feel a bit nervous as it spoke to him. **[Welcome, welcome, Mahiru~]**

Mahiru took a moment to get his bearing's again when he saw it. Things were starting to get strange. He just wanted to get out of this place. Maybe the cat-creature could help in that regard? He didn't know if it could, but it was a part of Kuro, and he trusted Kuro. "You're…a part of Kuro, right?" he asked, wanting to make sure.

 **[That's right. I control Kuro's power~]** it replied in its eerie sing-song voice. **[My goodness, I never expected to see you here~]** it continued.

"Uhm…where is 'here'?" Mahiru tried to question.

The little creature laughed at him softly before it turned around and started to skip away from him. **[This way, this way~]** it beckoned

Having little choice, Mahiru decided to follow after it. He didn't know where it was leading him (hopefully out of this place) but it was better than standing around and floundering on his own. "So…where am I, exactly…?" he tried again.

 **[Did you know that there's a bond between an Eve and a Servamp?]** The little creature questioned back.

Mahiru thought that that was an obvious question, but answered it regardless. "Of course I know. But, what does that have to do with where I am?"

The little creature seemed to ignore Mahiru's question again as it continued to skip and prance in front of him. **[If a bond is strong enough a connection can form between the two.]**

"A…connection…?"

 **[That's right. You usually see it in its physical form, as a chain, linking you and your Servamp. In some instances though…a connection will form between the two without the chain.]**

Mahiru was even more confused than what he had been a few minutes ago. "…Okay… And…what does this connection have to do with where I am…?" he tried one last time.

The little creature stopped in front of him before turning to face him again. Its little arms waved around in a morbid kind of fashion as it spoke to him. **[A connection is what allows for a Servamp to read what his Eve would like for him to do~ It's a mental pathway, connecting the two minds together on some level~ When a bond is strong enough, sometimes an Eve will accidentally slip into his Servamp's mind while sleeping~ Happy Birthday~]**

"Wh-What?! You mean that I'm in Kuro's mind again?!" Mahiru exclaimed, startled by this sudden revelation.

 **[That's right~ Kuro can't tell that you're here~ Wanna look around~?]**

"N-Not really… Now that I know that I'm in his mind…I feel like I'm violating his privacy," Mahiru replied. While he had wanted to get to know Kuro better, this was most certainly not the way that he wanted to do so.

 **[Kuro won't tell you anything, you know~ He likes to keep everything all bottled up, the silly cat.]**

Mahiru looked down slightly when he heard that. "Even if that's true…it's not right for me to go looking through his mind without his permission. I don't want to drive him away from me."

Mahiru heard the creature laugh at him again before he felt it suddenly sitting on his shoulder. Startled, he looked at it as it began to speak to him. **[You won't drive him away~ The poor little kitty is too fond of you to stay away for long~]**

Mahiru shook his head slightly. "It's still not right!"

 **[Aren't you the least bit curious~? You don't have to step into any memories, but looking around can't hurt, am I right?]**

"Well…it is true that it can't hurt to walk around… I need to find a way to return to my own mind at any rate. …I doubt I can do that by just standing around here… You don't happen to know how I can return…do you?" Mahiru asked hopefully.

 **[Nope~! This is our first time that an Eve has slipped in~]** the little creature replied with a smile that told Mahiru that it probably _did_ know but was refusing to tell him.

Mahiru sighed loudly before he looked around him again. The area was still a bit dim, but at least now he could see a little bit better than before. Maybe it had to do with the little cat-creature, or maybe it was because he was in a new area, but regardless, he could see now and that was what was important. The cat-like creature had settled itself on his shoulder now, and didn't seem intent to lead the way anymore, which left it up to Mahiru to try and find his own way out. As he walked forward, he glanced around him. Kuro's mind was so… _dark_. It was hard to see where he was going, and the little creature was being of no help whatsoever. As he walked though, he did start to notice more and more of those swirling black mists. He had his suspicions as to what they were, but he wanted to double check. "What are those?" he asked quietly as one of the mists swirled past him.

 **[Those are Kuro's memories~ When he's sleeping, they escape from the confines that he puts them in~]** the creature replied before it jumped off of his shoulder.

"His…memories…" Mahiru repeated quietly. _'So, I was right in thinking that they were either memories or thoughts… I'll have to be careful not to accidentally touch one then,'_ he thought before looking for the cat-creature again. It wasn't long before Mahiru spotted it up ahead of him. It was jumping up and down, flailing its little arms around. If it wasn't so creepy looking, Mahiru probably would have admitted that it was kind of cute. As he neared it, however, his eyes widened slightly as he saw just what it was doing. There was a memory hovering above the little creature as it tried to swat at it. Mahiru didn't know what would happen if the creature touched it, and he didn't want to find out. "Stop that! Don't touch it!" he called out.

The little creature stopped its jumping and flailing to look over to Mahiru. **[It's a happy memory, Ma~hi~ru~ It's the first one, the first one~ Wanna see~?]** it asked.

It gave Mahiru no time to answer as it jumped up again and used its tail to fling the memory at him. Mahiru wouldn't have been able to avoid it if he wanted to. There had been a few other memories pretty close to where he was, and he hadn't wanted to accidentally bump into one. _'I'm sorry, Kuro,'_ he thought as he closed his eyes. _'I don't want to see your private memories without your permission…but…your little cat-creature made the choice for me…'_

Mahiru could feel as the memory passed over him. It felt strange…like he was passing through a wall of water. The sensation only lasted for a moment before Mahiru became aware of the fact that he could now hear birds chirping in the distance, he could feel a slight breeze blowing through his hair, as well as feel the soft grass under his bare feet. _'Maybe if I just keep my eyes closed and don't really watch anything, then Kuro won't be too mad when I tell him what happened…'_

Mahiru was all set and fully intending to do just that when he felt a weight on his shoulder again. **[Don't you wanna watch~? We're already here, may as well see what happened. It's a happy memory~]**

"It's bad enough that you forced me into the memory in the first place. I don't want to invade his personal memories," Mahiru replied, annoyed with the being for putting him into this situation to begin with.

 **[Ah but…I'm a part of Kuro. If I give you permission to watch, doesn't that mean that he is too~?]**

"Well…maybe… But I'd still rather hear it from him," Mahiru replied. His eyes were still shut, so he couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything other than the birds, so he could only conclude that the Kuro that was in the memory was sleeping.

 **[Silly Mahiru~ The fact that you were able to slip into Kuro's mind in the first place shows just how strong your bond is~ He doesn't know that you're here~ His mind is completely at ease with you being here~ If I were you, I'd take this chance to learn more about him~]**

The little creature did make a strong argument, but it still didn't feel right to Mahiru. "I can't. I want him to keep trusting me, and I fear that I'd lose that trust by viewing his memories," he replied.

Mahiru felt the little being shift slightly so then it was closer to his ear. **[What if I told you…that the only way to return to your own mind…is to view a memory~? If Kuro wakes up…and you're still here…you'll be trapped here…for all eternity~ Happy Birthday~]**

Startled at that, Mahiru's eyes flew open to look at the little cat-like creature, but it was already gone. He sighed heavily as he tried to process what he had just learned. He really did not want to violate Kuro's privacy but…if the little creature was telling him the truth, then he'd have to do just that to be able to return to his own mind. It had said that this was a happy memory so…this one should be all right to watch, even if he really didn't want to. _'I'm really,_ _ **really**_ _, sorry, Kuro. I'll definitely make this up to you.'_

Now that he had little choice but to watch the memory, did Mahiru look around himself. He was currently standing at the edge of a thick looking forest as it over looked rolling hills of fields and rice patty terraces. The sky was a clear deep blue and the sun was shining brilliantly. It looked peaceful. It was little wonder that Kuro was here. There probably wasn't anyone around for miles to disturb his slumber. Speaking of Kuro, Mahiru looked around and tried to locate him.

It actually didn't take Mahiru long at all to find him. Kuro had only been a few feet away from where he had been standing. The Servamp was sitting underneath a rather large tree that cast a good amount of shade, protecting the vampire from the sun's harsh light. His legs were drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them while he looked up at the sky. His clothing was vastly different from what Mahiru was used to seeing. He still had black boots, but these only went up to his mid shins, instead of up to his knees, while his pants were a medium brown color and made from a material that Mahiru couldn't identify. His shirt was nothing more than a simple light blue tunic, with the collar dipping down into a low "V". It was only partly laced up. Mahiru could also just barely make out a black choker on him, as most of it had been covered up by a small black scarf that he had around his neck.

What was most surprising to Mahiru, however, was how _young_ Kuro looked. He knew that vampires didn't age, and Kuro had said it himself that he had a baby face, but this was something else completely. He still looked the same as the Kuro that he knew, but something was definitely different about him. He looked so…so…peaceful. He didn't have his usual annoyed or bored expression on his face, nor did he look so jaded against the world. He…he didn't have that weary, distrustful look to him…nor did he look about ready to collapse from exhaustion. He still had a sleepy air about him, but it was far more tranquil feeling than the sheer exhaustion that Mahiru was used to.

Mahiru watched as Kuro seemed to have heard something. The vampire had shifted slightly to look back behind him, but he must not have deemed it a threat because he went back to looking at the sky a moment later. It didn't take long for Mahiru to hear what Kuro had heard, or rather, the someone that Kuro had heard.

"Ash! Sleepy Ash! I know that you're around here, so answer me you lazy cat!" Mahiru couldn't help but to smile slightly when he heard that and saw Kuro sigh in resignation of having his peaceful quiet time disrupted. While he was still feeling guilty for viewing any memories, he had to admit that it was nice seeing Kuro like this.

It wasn't much longer before the person that was looking for Kuro came into view. It was a young woman, though she was definitely older than Mahiru. If he had to take a guess, she looked to be in her early twenties. Her clothes were similar to what Kuro was wearing, but her shirt was a deep red color and the "V" slit was much smaller and laced up fully. Her medium length black hair was done up in a messy braid that hung over her shoulder. Mahiru couldn't help but to notice the way that her hazel eyes softened slightly when she finally found Kuro. The stranger (for that's what she was to Mahiru, he didn't know her name) approached Kuro and lightly patted his knee that was the closest to her. Kuro seemed to understand what she was asking, for he moved his arms away and relaxed his legs slightly. The young woman smiled at him before making herself comfortable in his lap. Judging from the fact that Kuro only shifted slightly to get into a more comfortable position, Mahiru concluded that this had to be common between the two.

The woman leaned back against Kuro slightly before she spoke up, "Watching the sky again, Ash?" Kuro didn't respond, but the woman understood his silence regardless. "Do you miss being able to walk in the sunlight?" was her next question.

"…Sometimes…" Kuro replied softly before he sighed in annoyance. "It's a major pain not being able to though."

The woman laughed at him slightly for that response. "But you make for such a cute kitty when you're in the sun!"

"I'd rather just stay in this form all the time. It's uncomfortable being a cat for too long."

The woman took hold of one of Kuro's hands and gave it a gentle squeeze, signaling that she understood where he was coming from. The two were quiet for a while longer before she spoke up again. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" she asked softly.

Mahiru blinked in confusion at the sudden turn in their conversation. Obviously he wasn't getting the full story, and now his curiosity had been piqued. _'He who?'_ he wondered.

Kuro was silent for a long moment before quietly replying, "…always…" He sighed slightly before continuing. "It's just…today and…tomorrow…" he started before trailing off into a heavy, pain filled sigh.

"I know, Ash… I know… I'll be here for you, always," the woman replied. She definitely understood what Kuro was talking about.

"Can we…just stay here for a few days…? …Please…?"

She smiled at him again before replying. "Of course we can, Ash. We're partners after all. We can't be partners if everything is one-sided."

Mahiru watched as Kuro relaxed more at that response. It clicked for him a moment later. _'She's his Eve. No wonder he's so comfortable around her… He's so…trusting of her… This memory…must be quite old… The Kuro that I know is not trusting or open at all…'_ he thought as he took everything that he knew about Kuro, which admittedly wasn't much, into consideration. Just seeing Kuro this relaxed and at ease with another person really pushed home to Mahiru that the vampire had been through a lot. He thought back to the hug that he had given Kuro earlier that day. The Servamp had went absolutely rigid. He had been tense and unsure of what to do…but here…in this memory…it looked like Kuro welcomed the contact. _'…Kuro…you must have gone through hell and back several times to tense up at a simple hug… …I'm willing to bet that…you've also had some nasty Eves that treated you horribly and as if you were less than a person...'_

"Ash…" the female Eve spoke up after a few more minutes of silence had passed, "…how many times am I going to have to tell you before it penetrates your sleep addled mind that what happened…wasn't your fault."

Mahiru watched as Kuro's gaze lowered from the sky slightly. He could see anguish and guilt reflected in his red orbs, and suddenly, the once calm and peaceful atmosphere vanished, and left behind in its wake was nothing but bitter regret and a sense of self-loathing. "…but…it _**was**_ my fault," Kuro replied as his tone of voice took on a dangerously icy edge.

The woman obviously picked up on the vampire's change in demeanor and grabbed both of Kuro's hands, giving them a squeeze. It seemed to help, because Kuro refocused on her, even though it was clear that she had been the one to touch a nerve.

Suddenly…this memory no longer seemed happy and peaceful to Mahiru. It was tense, and it left him with a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. The way that Kuro was glaring at the woman sitting on his lap was enough to unnerve Mahiru. He had seen a similar look on Kuro's face only once before, and that had been when Kuro had been about to bite into Belkia's neck when they had fought against him.

"Tell me, Ash, what the last thing that he said to you was?" the woman challenged, not backing down from the obviously irate vampire.

Mahiru could only watch as Kuro's anger suddenly left him at that question. He didn't respond, but the woman didn't seem to expect him too. Her grip on Kuro's hands loosened, but Mahiru could see Kuro hesitate in letting go himself.

The woman's tone softened again, "Ash…you know why he did what he did. And you know, deep down in your heart, that he would make the same decision every time…especially if it concerned you."

"…but…" Kuro tried to say before he stopped. He took a deep, shuddering breath before he tried again, "…but… I… I was the one that was supposed to…" he said before trailing off again.

"Obviously…he disagreed with that, Ash."

Kuro nodded slightly at her statement. He looked lost in thought before he spoke up. "It'll…be hard…for me to let it go… To understand, and accept…that I'm not at…fault…for what happened…" he stated. "But…in a way…I'm glad that it turned out to be this way," he finished softly.

The woman looked at Kuro in confusion. "Glad? Why are you glad?"

Kuro looked at her for a moment before his gaze shifted back to the sky. "He didn't…have to become a Sin…"

"Ash…"

If Mahiru had felt lost before, it was nothing to how he was feeling now. He was missing a huge chunk of this story. There was so much that he wanted to ask and to know so he could follow what they were talking about but…that required asking Kuro more about it. It was obviously painful in this memory, and from what Mahiru could tell, this memory was an old one. There was no telling just how painful talking about it now would be for Kuro.

"The pain's still…too raw for me to deal with right now…"

"You shouldn't run away from it, Ash… You'll feel better if you face it, trust me."

Kuro glanced back to her again. "…that'll take a while… You…know what happened to me…" he replied.

The woman gave him a sad smile when she heard his response. "…I know, Ash… …Two years…isn't that long, is it?"

Kuro shook his head "no" slightly. He was quiet for a moment before he decided to say what was on his mind. "…I still wake up sometimes…and forget that I'm a vampire…until I walk into a patch of sunlight and suddenly change into a cat…" he replied quietly.

That statement saw Mahiru's thoughts come to a grinding halt, at least for a moment. _'T-Two years? Is he saying…that in this memory…he's only been a vampire for two years? Then…does that mean…'_ he thought before looking at the two again. His gaze sought out the woman and something that the little cat creature said came back to him, **[It's the first one~ The first one~!]** it had said. Was Mahiru actually looking at Kuro's first Eve? And if he was then…this memory being labeled as a happy one started to make more sense all of a sudden. _'His first Eve has to have a special place in his heart. Especially since it seems that she helped him and stood by him as he learned more about himself as a vampire… That…had to be rough on the both of them.'_

As much as Mahiru wanted to get the whole back story that was between the two, he was starting to feel overwhelmed with what he had learned already. He just wanted to be back in his own mind, so he could try and process everything that he had just heard. It was a lot for the fifteen year old to take in. The memory blurred slightly and Mahiru felt the sudden sensation of passing through a wall of water again. Was he finished with the memory? He hoped so. He hadn't wanted to view any of Kuro's private memories to begin with.

It was a struggle, but Mahiru eventually managed to open his eyes. He blinked a few times and the world came back into focus, and the first thing that he saw was Kuro hovering over him slightly, with an expression that was part concern, part relief and part annoyance. It was reassuring to the young Eve to know that Kuro did seem to care about him. His brow furrowed slightly in confusion though. But wait…hadn't that cat creature said…

"Kuro…?" he questioned, a confused tone entering his voice as he tried to make sense of everything.

The vampire sighed in annoyance, "You're a major pain."

Just from that statement, Mahiru knew that Kuro knew that he had been inside his mind again. This was a fine mess that he seemed to have gotten himself in to. It was not going to be all that simple in trying to convince Kuro that he hadn't meant to slip into his mind. Nor was it going to be simple in convincing him that he hadn't meant to view his memories either.

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 **Author's Note:** Please leave a review, fav or follow if you're enjoying the story! I enjoyed writing this chapter. We're not really given too much about Kuro's back ground and past, so I'm taking liberties with it. I purposefully left the woman unnamed for this chapter (I do have a name for her, but I thought that would be better to learn at a later date). Also, going to reiterate, this story is about _friendship_ , so there will be no pairings at all, even if it may seem that way. (I am absolutely abysmal with writing any type of romance, so don't expect it from me!) That being said, I do think that Kuro may have been a bit OOC in this chapter, but my reasoning is, at the time of the memory, he hasn't gone through everything that has made him who he is yet. He's not quite the Kuro that we know. I hope that makes some sense, and clarifies just where I was coming from. Anyways, I hope to see you all in the next chapter!


	6. Into the Nightmare Part 2

**Author's Note:** I want to thank everyone that has left a review, fav or follow! They mean a lot to me and I am glad to see that people are liking this story so much! This chapter took me a little longer than I had wanted to get out. We've had to push all of our assignments for my class up by a week, so I was suddenly stuck doing two weeks' worth of assignments and papers in four days (which is not fun). I found some time today to get the rest of the chapter written and typed, so I hope you all enjoy!

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 **Chapter 6 Into the Nightmare, Part 2**

Kuro laid down on his back as he heard Mahiru turn on the shower. His Eve may not have asked him about training today, but tomorrow was a different story altogether. Today had been exhausting enough, and he didn't think that he'd be recovered by tomorrow morning to fend off his Eve's nagging. He sighed heavily before finally getting under the warm blankets and turned over so that he was facing the wall. He'd worry about things tomorrow, right now though, he wanted to sleep. Kuro's eyes grew heavy as he heard Mahiru turning off the shower. He'd go to sleep fully as soon as he knew that Mahiru was safely tucked into bed. It was an old habit that he had formed, and it usually only came out when he was bound to an Eve. It was a slightly annoying habit, but it had been useful in the past so he didn't complain about it too much.

He heard Mahiru softly pad his way into the bedroom and over to his bed after turning off the lights. The vampire heard the bed creaking slightly and the covers rustling quietly as Mahiru settled in and got comfortable. Kuro also heard Mahiru's whispered "Good night, Kuro," before his Eve slipped into slumber.

"…night…Mahiru…" the vampire replied in a voice that was barely audible.

It wasn't long before Kuro felt his body fully relaxing as soon as he heard Mahiru's gentle breathing. He was about to close his eyes himself when he thought he saw something in the darkened corner of the bedroom. He was fully awake now as his senses screamed at him that something was wrong. He tried to move, but found that his body wouldn't respond. He couldn't even warn Mahiru that there was something in the room with them. Kuro grew frustrated with his own uselessness in this situation. Why couldn't he get his body to move?!

Another movement caught his attention again and his eyes narrowed slightly as they tried to train on whatever it was that was in the corner. It wasn't long before his eyes widened when he realized what was in front of him. The insane, swirling red eyes and stitched up smile loomed over him before heading straight towards Mahiru, and he was powerless to stop it. Kuro tried his hardest to struggle free, but the blanket he had covered himself with felt like it weighed a ton as it crushed down on him. No doubt the little _demon_ was responsible for that.

The entire bedroom was soon enveloped in darkness and Kuro knew that he had to act quickly. He actually _liked_ this Eve. He'd be damned if he let something happen to Mahiru. He thought quickly, trying to quash his rising panic. _'What is there that I can do? The little demon is annoyingly good at twisting orders… So what…'_ Kuro trailed off before he suddenly thought of something. It would be risky and it could go horribly wrong but…if there was one thing that he was starting to learn from Mahiru over the past few weeks, it was this; he had to try, even if it was a major pain in the ass.

Kuro closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He hated retreating into his mind, but in this instance it was necessary. He soon found himself surrounded by the familiar oppressing, clinging darkness that was his mind. A quick thought later and he found what he was looking for…the connection that linked him to Mahiru. He only hesitated for a moment before he took the chain into his hands and gave it a sharp tug. It was extremely risky doing this, but it was the only thing that he could think of that would keep Mahiru safe, at least until he managed to free his body. Kuro could feel Mahiru's presence coming closer to where he was, and he sighed in relief. He had been in time.

He could see Mahiru now. His Eve was almost to him when he saw Mahiru phase out slightly before completely vanishing. A cold sense of dread started to creep into his chest when he saw that. _'Why did he…'_ he started to question before he finally felt it. _Something_ was trying to wake him up, and he had a pretty good idea on what it was too.

Kuro couldn't help the menacing growl that escaped from the back of his throat. The little demon was seriously starting to piss him off. He would deal with it later. Right now, he had to find Mahiru. Since his Eve wasn't technically a part of his mind, Kuro couldn't just think of where he was and automatically move to him, even if that would have been extremely convenient for the vampire. It would have definitely required a lot less energy on his part. Unfortunately, this meant that he would have to search for Mahiru the old fashioned way, and that was a major pain. He sighed heavily again before he began his search. Hopefully, if he was extremely lucky (which he most certainly wasn't because he was black cat), Mahiru would stay sleeping. Kuro knew that it was wishful thinking on his part, but hey, a guy could dream.

It wasn't long before the pestering sensation that was trying to wake him up stopped. Kuro couldn't help but to sigh in relief, glad that the little pest had given up on that. The quiet snickering that suddenly echoed around him, however, caused the vampire to jolt slightly. The little demon had retreated back into his mind, and he hadn't found Mahiru yet. Before he could issue the strongest, and most direct, order that he could did he hear an echoing yell calling his name. _'Ugh, Mahiru…your timing sucks, majorly,'_ Kuro thought as he groaned quietly. This was just what he needed! The snickering turned mocking and it was then that Kuro knew that the little pest would find Mahiru before him. _'Do_ _ **NOT**_ _harm him,'_ Kuro growled to the demon that lurked within him.

 **[Heh, heh, heh… So…the little kitty cat** _ **does**_ **still have his claws~]** was the response that Kuro received.

Kuro glared into the blank expanse that was before him before he repeated his order more forcefully, _'Do_ _ **NOT**_ _harm him, am I understood?'_

 **[But of course~]** was the mocking reply. While the tone was something to be left desired, Kuro knew that the little demon would not actually hurt Mahiru now. …Well…at least…it would not hurt him physically. Emotionally and mentally were another story altogether though. "This is such a pain," Kuro sighed loudly. The only good that came from this was that Kuro could now sense the little demon a bit. It wasn't full-proof, but it was better than wandering around aimlessly looking for Mahiru.

 **[I've found him~]** came the simpering sing-song voice after a few moments of silence. **[Ahh… I know~ Let's play a game~]**

Kuro didn't respond, but he did shift which direction he was walking slightly. He was annoyed that the demon, and therefore Mahiru, were rather far from where he was, and he had a feeling that the pest that masqueraded as a plush cat was only going to take Mahiru further from him.

 **[Hehehe! I won't do that, you silly cat~ Mahiru is quite the curious little creature~ I'm sure that you won't mind if I answer his questions, am I right~?]**

Kuro gritted his teeth, but agreed. _'Fine. So long as you stop moving him,'_ he growled out. He knew exactly what the little creature was doing, but…he trusted Mahiru. He trusted that he would not actually fall for the demon's tricks and persuasions. He would not know what they spoke about until he could speak with Mahiru (the little pest hardly ever gave him a straight answer any more), so he had to put his faith in his Eve. He had to trust that Mahiru would not fall victim to the demon's games.

 **[Hahaha~! You're that fond of him already~? Silly cat~ You know that you're just setting yourself up to be hurt~]** the little creature taunted quietly. **[After all…humans are such fickle little things, am I right~?]** it whispered.

Kuro hid his eyes at that last statement but continued to move in the direction where he could feel the demon's presence. He tried to picture where his little inner demon was to try and locate it quicker. This, again, was a risk that he was taking, as the demon always knew when he tried to do this. It would usually send back images that either sent him in the wrong direction or showed him things that he would rather forget. He had actually stopped trying this method years and years ago when it had sent him a very firm, and painful, reminder as to just why it controlled his power. But…this was an emergency, so he chanced it. Plus…it was sort of distracted with Mahiru, and he only needed to see a glance…

His hope started to fade when he continued to only see blackness. Kuro was about to retreat out of what he was doing when he saw it. It was _'that room'_. He sighed warily. Mahiru had went deeper than he had anticipated. His pace quickened at little when he thought about it. There were many memories in that area that he did not want Mahiru to stumble into, whether by accident or not.

 **[Ah… You're no fun, Kuro~ What's the harm in letting him see? I thought that you trusted him~?]**

The vampire's hands clenched tightly at that mockingly confused inquiry. He trusted Mahiru, yes, but…it wasn't a complete and total trust. He didn't think that he'd ever give his trust so completely and wholly to anyone else ever again. Not even to his current too trusting, too naïve, pain in the ass of an Eve. The risk of being so utterly crushed and broken again was too great for Kuro to chance.

 **[Come on~ Just one, harmless little peak~?]** the demon tried to wheedle.

"No," Kuro replied firmly. His patience had finally run out. He needed to get Mahiru out of his mind before the little pest did something to him. Kuro could feel it getting antsy, and since there was now another presence in his mind (one that didn't utterly ignore its existence to the best of one's ability), the monster would soon do something to relieve itself of its boredom. This meant that a rather nasty confrontation between Kuro and the demon would be coming to a head soon. And Kuro was not going to be the one that backed down this time. Kuro claimed that he was a pacifist, he did find confrontations to be rather exhausting after all, but completely tearing apart a monster that lived inside of him couldn't really be counted as violence, could it? He didn't know, and it hurt to think about it. At this point though, he just didn't care.

Done with playing the demon's game, Kuro forcefully moved himself to the area that he had seen within a matter of moments. He could feel that the demon was closer now, and it had obviously sensed him and his rapidly angering mood. **[Heeheehee~ It's been a long while since I've seen you so riled up~ I wonder though…if I'm going to face a poor little kitty cat, or will I be facing a murderous little lion~?]** it laughed. Normally a comment like that would have seen Kuro faltering slightly, but not this time. The demon was in for a rather long overdue reminder that just because he didn't like to hold the power, it did not mean that the monster had free reign to do as it wished. And trying to attack and harm his Eve had been the final straw.

His growing anger caused him to phase closer again. He could finally sense Mahiru now. The boy felt safe, which caused him to sigh quietly in relief. It wasn't much longer before he could actually see his Eve. He looked to be shouting at someone, or rather, at something, which caused Kuro to smirk ever so slightly. Ah, it was nice not being on the receiving end of his nagging for once. Kuro was about to call out to Mahiru and gain his attention so then he could quickly, and safely, get him back to his own mind. However, he could only watch in horror as one of his memories suddenly flew into him. Mahiru faded out of sight and Kuro caught a glimpse of a stitched smile before it, too, vanished. Kuro growled lowly in his throat as he stalked closer. His eyes never left the swirling memory that Mahiru had been forced in to. He couldn't quite tell just what it contained, but it did not give off a horribly bad vibe. He couldn't conclude that it was exactly a "safe" memory, but at least he was assured that it didn't hold any of his less than savory moments. The Servamp was about to go in after Mahiru when he heard the quiet laughing again. He turned away from the memory slightly and glared at the demon that had reappeared.

 **[Ehe… So…it looks like the little lion has come out to play~]** it said as its swirling red eyes fixed Kuro with a murderous stare as its stitched mouth grew impossibly wide as it smiled at him in contempt. **[I'm a part of you, Kuro. Destroy me, and you go berserk~]** it taunted when it saw the look in Kuro's eyes.

"You don't have to be completely annihilated, just mostly. So long as a shred of you exists, I'll retain my sanity," Kuro hissed out.

The cat-demon twitched slightly when it felt just how serious Kuro was being. Good~ It was about time~ **[Ahahahahaha~ Would you chance such a thing~? Especially with Mahiru here~?]**

Red eyes hardened even further. Both knew that the answer to that question was "no". Kuro would not chance it. "Why did you try to harm him?" Kuro eventually gritted out. As tempting as it was to slash the plush into ribbons, Mahiru was here, and he really did not want him to come to harm.

 **[Wasn't it obvious~?** _ **You**_ **didn't want to deal with him any more~ He was pushing your buttons, and you wanted him to stop. I was just answering** _ **your**_ **call~]**

"Mahiru can be a pain, and he can be exceedingly annoying, but that does not mean that I want him dead!" Kuro replied furiously. Again, the demon was twisting his thoughts, mangling them until they no longer resembled anything even remotely close to what they had been. …Maybe…maybe it was time…for him to regain control over himself. The little monster had had control over his power for long enough. The cat-demon seemed to sense what Kuro's intent was because it skipped out of the way of black ribbon-like tendrils that had shot up from where it had just been standing.

 **[Say~ Wanna make this interesting~?]**

Kuro's eyes narrowed again. "I don't think so. It sounds rather troublesome," he replied, as he watched the cat plush as it skittered around him.

 **[What's the matter~? Not going to attack~? I thought that I would be facing off against a little lion, but it seems that the poor little kitty cat is back~ I thought that you were going to rip me to shreds!]** it laughingly screeched.

Kuro glared at it, watching it warily now. It was up to something, and he didn't want to be caught off guard. If this wasn't such a serious situation he would definitely be complaining about this being a pain. He could already tell that he would not be getting any sleep tonight. That was a given.

A slight movement in the darkness caught Kuro's eye. He glanced at it for but a moment before he felt the searing pain of claws digging into his chest. Growling lowly he wrenched himself away, and glared at the monstrous form that the cat plush had taken in his momentary lapse of concentration. It towered above him, with its red swirling eyes dripping with a black sludge. It was painfully thin with a malnourished look to it as each of its vertebrae and ribs could be seen protruding from it. It was painful for Kuro to look at, because he knew that deep down, it represented him, but, he couldn't think on that right now.

The demon obviously wanted to fight so… "Fine then. Just remember…that you've left me with no choice!" The thick black ribbon-like tendrils reappeared, wrapping around the monster as it screeched at him tauntingly. Kuro knew that the tendrils would not last long, but he didn't need them to. He just needed a distraction. The vampire darted forward as his hands changed into the black energy-like claws that he used for weapons. The creature broke free of the tendrils as soon as Kuro reached it. It moved back just as the vampire slashed, making it wail loudly as a small blast of Kuro's power was freed from it. The blast was a bit overwhelming for Kuro as his body immediately absorbed the loose energy. It left him feeling slightly dazed, for it had been a long while since he had felt that much power coursing through him. He shook his head slightly to clear his mind again, and watched as the monster suddenly took a keen interest in him. Kuro's guard instantly went up and he took a few tentative steps back and watched to see what he would have to dodge. There was no way that he'd be able to get in close again with it watching him so intently.

He didn't have to wait for long. Kuro tried to move away from the rapidly incoming clawed hand but found that he was stuck fast. The black sludge that was continually dripping from the monster's eyes and mouth held him down, and once again Kuro found himself unable to move. He braced himself for the impact, but when he turned slightly, so then his shoulder would take the brunt of the attack, he saw something that he did not wish to see. The memory that Mahiru was in was literally right behind him. If the memory was crushed not only would he lose it, but, he'd lose Mahiru too. He couldn't let that happen. His eyes flashed a light blue for but a moment and black tendrils covered in sharp looking thorns shot up to encase the memory right as the clawed hand slammed down into them.

The monster gave a victorious screeching noise before it abruptly started keening in agony. It recoiled sharply with only half of its arm following after it. The backlash from that was massive, and sent the memories that had been swirling around further back into Kuro's mind. Kuro himself was down on his knees with his head touching the ground and clutching at his abdomen from the sheer amount of pain from retaking that amount of control and power back. He refused to scream though, no matter how much it hurt. He had known what would happen if he severed an appendage, but just not to this extent! His body felt as if it was on fire while at the same time feeling as if it was being impaled over and over again by thousands of weapons. It was something that he had rather hoped to never experience again!

The monster recoiled back and grew smaller. The severed arm was still releasing more and more of Kuro's power back to him that had went unused for centuries. As quickly as the monster had appeared it was gone again, replaced by the little plush cat, with its arm still fully functional and intact. It skipped its way over to the still kneeling vampire and patted his head.

Kuro growled lowly when he felt that. The damn thing was a menace. "You…p-planned that…d-didn't you…?" he gasped out. It still hurt to move, and talking was no exception.

 **[You poor, silly little boy~]** was the only response that he received before the demon cat vanished. Kuro was left still in pain on the ground and with something that he specifically did not want. He had given most of it to the demon-cat for a reason!

Kuro sighed angrily and closed his eyes as he tried to will the pain to go away. It eventually lessened to a dulled ache, and that was going to have to be good enough for now. He didn't have the time, or the energy, to bother with the ache for now. He finally sat back up and glanced at the memory that was still behind him. The thorns had long since gone and it was now time to retrieve Mahiru and get him back into his own mind. There was no way that he'd be able to try and spin this as some sort of weird dream. Mahiru had come into contact with his inner demon again, and who knows what it had told him. He groaned tiredly as his shoulders slumped at the thought. If he had thought that yesterday had been exhausting he knew that it was going to pale in comparison to what today was going to bring.

Sighing heavily he shakily stood up and touched the swirling memory gently. He glanced around slightly when the memory settled and vaguely recalled this place. It had been centuries since had visited this memory, so of course he couldn't quite place which one this was. It didn't take him long to spot Mahiru and he paled slightly when he saw himself and the woman who had been his first Eve sitting under one of the large trees. He hurried over as quickly as his aching body would let him, and was able to hear himself reply to the woman that he was still getting used to being a vampire. Mahiru looked so overwhelmed with everything that he hadn't even heard Kuro come up behind him. The vampire sighed quietly before gently tugging on the back of Mahiru's night shirt. It was enough to get him out of the memory. Before Mahiru could comprehend what had just happened, Kuro already had them back to the connection that tethered them together. Mahiru's eyes were closed, likely from the sensation of leaving the memory, so before he could get his bearings, Kuro quickly had his Eve's hand on the chain and pushed him out. Kuro waited until he could no longer sense Mahiru's presence within his mind, and then he waited a few minutes longer, just to be on the safe side.

Once he felt that it was safe enough did Kuro force himself to wake up. He blinked lethargically a few times before finally registering that he was back in Mahiru's bedroom. He groaned quietly before gingerly rolling onto his back with his arms spread out. He had managed to dull his mental pain to nothing more than an annoying ache, but unfortunately, he could not do the same for his physical body. He was in absolute agony and just wanted to sink into the amazingly soft futon and not move for say…the next ten to twenty years (or more if he could wrangle it out of Mahiru).

Knowing that he had to check on Mahiru did the Servamp use the rest of his energy to roll over onto his stomach to get to his feet. He stumbled slightly when he finally managed to stand up before he forced himself to make his way over to his Eve's bed. As much as he wanted to just collapse onto it (Mahiru was only a minor annoyance with already being in the bed, he'd just use his Eve for extra warmth), Kuro kept himself from doing so and looked Mahiru over carefully. He looked to be okay, but Kuro wouldn't know for certain until he woke up. Sighing heavily again, he moved Mahiru's bangs slightly to feel for a temperature. His Eve looked a tad flushed in the face, it was probably an after effect of being pulled into his mind, but he wanted to make sure that it was nothing serious. He pulled his hand away after a moment. Mahiru felt a little warmer than normal, but he didn't think that it was going to be anything to really be worried about.

The Servamp couldn't help but to sigh again as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. This was such a pain, and he meant that quite literally. His body was in agony, Mahiru had a slight fever, and, to top it off, he had been tricked into fighting against the being that held most of his power (and as a consequence, regained a portion of said power back). He was extremely concerned and annoyed right now. He was concerned about Mahiru and what he had seen, talked about or heard, as well as concerned over his fever. He was annoyed with the little demon for tricking him again, but mostly, he was annoyed with himself for falling straight into its trap. And that was the expression that was on his face when Mahiru woke up, though it did shift slightly into relief when he saw Mahiru open his eyes.

He watched as Mahiru blinked a few times before confusion started to haze over his warm, brown orbs. "Kuro…?" was his soft and confused sounding question.

Kuro couldn't help the sigh of annoyance that left him, and said the first thing that came to mind. "You're a major pain."

And, while that was true about Mahiru, this time, his Eve had done nothing wrong. Kuro knew that he was going to have to explain what had happened to his Eve, who was starting to look guiltier and guiltier by the second after he heard him say that. Really, he just couldn't deal with it right now…

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 **Author's Note:** I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I had a lot of fun with it! The only thing that I had completely wanted to do was the confrontation between Kuro and his demon, everything else I pretty much made up on the fly and rolled with it. The next chapter will probably not be released until either next Friday or Saturday, but if I can find the time to write it before then, I most certainly will! Please leave a review, fav or follow if you're enjoying the fic! See you all in the next chapter!


	7. Eve

**Author's Note:** I want to thank everyone that has reviewed, followed or have left a fav! I love seeing them! This chapter was a bit of a pain to write. I had a hard time getting the wording down in my rough draft so then it didn't sound too strange or too wordy (might be a side effect of having to write wordy lesson plans, I don't know, but I hope that I've gotten the kinks out now!) Also, I just wanted to let all of you know that I had a major change in back story for Kuro, and I like this new version that I've come up with far better than what I was going to have happen. Don't worry, chapter 5 will not be altered in any way (other than if I happen to proof read it again and find spelling mistakes) thanks to this new back story that I've cooked up. Well, that's all that I can think about for any major news regarding this story, so, on to the chapter!

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 **Chapter 7 Eve**

Mahiru couldn't help the guilt that started to well up inside of him again. Even though it had not been his intent, or fault for that matter, he had still violated Kuro's privacy. What was worse was that Kuro knew. Kuro knew and now anything that he tried to say to him was going to sound like a feeble excuse for what he had done. He felt like he had just majorly screwed up his chances of getting Kuro to trust him. The guilt that he was feeling was stifling, almost to the point that it felt like it was crushing down on him with its weight. He knew that anything that he tried to do would not even begin to lift the weight off of his shoulders.

"…-hiru…?" the sound of Kuro's voice snapped Mahiru back to the present and he focused on his Servamp's face, trying to gauge just how much damage he had done. Kuro's brows were knitted slightly together in concern, and his red eyes were watching him intently, even if it did look like the vampire was having a difficult time in keeping them open. It only took Mahiru a moment to notice after his initial once over of Kuro's face that the vampire looked like he was in pain. It was like Kuro was using what little energy he had left to just stay standing instead of collapsing into a boneless heap on the floor. The slight tremors that he could now see wracking through the vampire's entire body only added to Mahiru's increasing worry.

"…Mahiru…?" he heard Kuro question again. Now that he was actually paying attention, Mahiru could actually _hear_ the slight roughness to Kuro's voice. It was as if Kuro was trying to hide any sort of pain or discomfort that he was in but…why was he in pain in the first place? Why did he look so much more worn out than he had ever seen him before? Was it his fault? Had he somehow inadvertently hurt Kuro when he had went into his mind again? The heavy feeling of guilt came crashing down on him again and he could feel his eyes start to sting with unshed tears as his throat started to constrict, making it hard for him breathe. It was the small, sharp pain on his forehead that brought Mahiru's attention back to Kuro.

"…ow…" he couldn't help but to whine slightly as he rubbed at the spot where Kuro had flicked him. He looked back up to Kuro again, and noticed that the vampire's expression looked even more worn and haggard than it had been just a moment before.

"…" he watched as Kuro hesitated before the Servamp finally spoke up, "…quit blamin' yourself… …not your fault…" he mumbled out quietly.

"But Kuro! I… I went into your mind again! And without your permission! And I mmph-!" Mahiru never got to finish his sentence. Kuro had put a hand over his mouth to get him to shut up.

"…this is so exhausting…" the vampire murmured quietly, sounding as exhausted as he claimed this conversation to be. "…who said…that you didn't have…permission…" he continued on in that tried monotone that the vampire usually adopted when Mahiru knew that he was starting to shut down. It took the young Eve a full moment before Kuro's words sunk in. Since Kuro's hand was still covering his mouth all Mahiru could do was look up at the Servamp in surprise. What? Permission? He didn't recall ever having permission to step foot, in a metaphorical sense, inside Kuro's mind again. Hell, he hadn't even known that it was possible for him to return to the Servamp's mind!

Kuro must have been able to read his expression because he repeated his earlier statement, "…not…your fault… …go back to sleep, Mahiru… …I really…can't deal right now… …tomorrow…please…?" Kuro sounded so exhausted and in so much pain that Mahiru didn't have the heart to push the issue any more tonight. That, and coupled with his quiet murmur of "please", was what had really cinched it. He'd have to be pretty heartless if he kept trying to push the issue, especially with how Kuro looked right now. With the issue resolved for now, Mahiru nodded slightly, letting Kuro know that he was not going to say anything more on the subject until both were up and about tomorrow. Well…he'd be up and moving around at the very least. Kuro looked like he was ready to collapse and not move for the next decade. Seeing that he had his word did Kuro remove his hand and take a shaky step away from the bed. "…sleep, Mahiru…" the Servamp repeated in a low mumble as he made his way back to his futon.

Mahiru sighed deeply before attempting to get comfortable again. He wasn't sure just how Kuro expected him to go back to sleep when he had so much on his mind still! He didn't want to accidentally slip back into Kuro's mind again, but…judging from the fact that Kuro was already fast asleep once more, it was obvious that the Servamp was not worried about it happening again. With another heavy sigh Mahiru rolled over onto his side and eventually fell back into an uneasy sleep.

The first thing that Mahiru noticed upon waking up again was that it was rather bright in his room. _'It must be later in the morning than when I usually wake up.'_ He rolled over onto his back as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. His mind felt a bit hazy from sleep still and he really didn't want to roll out of bed just yet. _'Lazing around for a few more minutes can't hurt, can it? Jeez…I'm starting to act like Kuro…'_ were his sleepy thoughts before he suddenly jolted awake. The previous night's escapades were suddenly thrust to the front of his mind and his worry and guilt from the night before started to resurface. Mahiru sat up quickly and immediately looked over to Kuro's futon, only to find it completely devoid of sleeping vampire. His blanket and pillow were also missing, and that only increased Mahiru's worry and guilt over the situation.

Getting out of bed as quickly as he could, Mahiru started to make his way through his apartment looking for Kuro. There were only so many rooms that he could have hidden in, after all. He entered the darkened living room last and relaxed slightly. Kuro was curled up in one of the corners of the couch, covered with his blanket as he played some game on one of the hand held systems. Upon hearing him enter the living room, Mahiru watched as Kuro's heavily lidded gaze flicked up to meet his for a moment before it slid back down to focus on the game that he was playing. Mahiru sighed quietly in relief when he saw him. While it was highly unusual for Kuro to be up before him, the Servamp didn't seem to be in as much pain as he had been last night. Knowing that Kuro was doing all right for the moment did Mahiru turn to go back to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, however, he did notice that Kuro had a half empty bottle of cola sitting next to him, but that wasn't what his gaze was really on. Sitting on the floor next to the couch and cola bottle was a small cup that held steaming hot tea. Judging from the smell, it was an herbal tea used for relaxation, indicating that Kuro wasn't as well as Mahiru had previously thought him to be. He'd take care of Kuro in just a moment, first he wanted to at least brush his teeth.

Once finished with his morning rituals, Mahiru went back out to the darkened living room. Kuro had hardly budged, but at this point, Mahiru wasn't expecting him to do so. The young Eve couldn't help but to fidget slightly as he stood in front of Kuro, feeling awkward and a bit uneasy as he struggled to find something to say. "Good morning" sounded far too cheerful, and he was pretty sure that Kuro did not equate mornings to being good of any sort. "How are you feeling" also didn't sound any more promising to Mahiru than good morning had.

Kuro watched as Mahiru shifted slightly before him as he tried to figure out what to say. He watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across his face before the Servamp decided to take pity on the boy. He sighed quietly as he paused his game, saving it as he turned it off, and before Mahiru knew it he had been dragged down onto the couch to sit next to Kuro.

"K-Kuro!" he yelped, not having expected to be suddenly man handled onto the couch. "What was that for?!"

"It's really exhausting watching you try to figure out how to say 'good morning'. It's not that hard, Mahiru. I thought that you liked to keep things simple?" Kuro replied in a dry, yet tired sounding, tone.

Mahiru groaned in exasperation. Looks like Kuro was feeling better, especially if he was poking fun at him again. Regardless though…Kuro had definitely dispelled the growing tension that had been hanging in the air between them, and for that, Mahiru was grateful. While what had happened the previous night was still weighing on his mind, Mahiru wasn't as nervous bringing it up this time. Kuro didn't look like he was going to be fighting against him about it, in fact, he seemed to just want to get it over with so that he could go back to playing his game.

Mahiru sighed quietly before he took the initiative. "I'm sorry, Kuro… I really didn't mean to enter your mind again last night…let alone go into one of your memories…"

Kuro had, by this point, put the game system he had been holding down and was now holding and savoring his tea. Mahiru hadn't thought that it was possible for Kuro to look any smaller than what he already did, but somehow, the vampire managed it. His feet were tucked up against him and the blanket was tented around his shoulders, which had hunched forward slightly when Mahiru had spoken up. Kuro's heavily lidded gaze was focused on the tea that he had cradled in his hands, and the dark circles that were always under his eyes seemed more pronounced than ever before. It was like Kuro hadn't slept at all last night. Despite the dry tone that Kuro had used earlier when he had been teasing him, his tone now held a quiet, exhausted quality to it, "…thought I told you last night that it wasn't your fault…" was his reply.

"But! That little cat plush thing told me that _I_ was the one who accidentally slipped into your mind! I honestly didn't mean to! I didn't even know that it was possible!"

"Mahiru, pipe down, man… You're too loud…" Kuro replied, not wanting his Eve to gain too much momentum and ignore what he had to say. It was going to be hard enough to say it as it was, he didn't need Mahiru to get all worked up again. However, upon seeing that Mahiru was going to do just that did Kuro sigh quietly. He shifted his tea to one hand before jabbing Mahiru in the ribs slightly with his free hand. Mahiru yelped again before glaring at his Servamp. "Willing to listen now?" Kuro asked quietly.

Once Mahiru felt that he had himself under control again did he nod slightly, silently indicating for Kuro to continue on. It was so rare for Kuro to volunteer any kind of information that Mahiru knew that he had to pay attention to everything that he said (He'd have a ton of questions afterwards that would need simple answers but those could wait!). Kuro could be rather vague at the best of times when answering him, so he knew that he would have to pay close attention when he started to speak. Knowing that Kuro needed a moment to collect his thoughts did Mahiru wait and watch. He watched as Kuro's hands gripped his cup just a little bit tighter, how his entire body tensed up just a little more than what it already had been, and…how Kuro hid his eyes behind his messy light blue bangs once again. It didn't take Mahiru long to put it together that Kuro was…scared. He was scared to tell him what had happened last night and he was scared of what his reaction would be to it. "Hey… Kuro…whatever it is that you have to tell me…just know that I won't get mad at you. I'm still thinking that this whole thing is my fault anyways, so I don't understand why you're the one that's so nervous," Mahiru said, giving the vampire a slight smile. Whether it was his words or his smile that encouraged him, Mahiru didn't know, but Kuro did relax slightly a moment later.

"What happened last night…was my fault…Mahiru…" Kuro eventually stated quietly.

"Your…fault?" Mahiru questioned back in confusion.

"Yeah… It's…a bit hard to explain but…something…inside of me misinterpreted my thoughts…and tried to…harm you last night…" Kuro went on to say, stumbling over his words slightly to try and cushion what he was really trying to say, which was; "My inner demon took my thoughts too literally and tried to kill you." It was probably something that Mahiru would not appreciate hearing.

A cold chill went down Mahiru's spine at that. He understood what Kuro wasn't saying but before he could comment on it, the Servamp continued, "…I couldn't move…and I didn't want you to be hurt… So… I pulled you into my mind again… …I got distracted for a moment…and instead of being brought to where I was…your presence sorta…went off track and wound up somewhere else…"

"So that's why I woke up in that strange room…" Mahiru quietly muttered to himself. "So…why didn't you come straight to where I was, Kuro?"

Kuro sighed heavily. "It doesn't work like that… Our minds may be connected on some level but…you are not a part of my mind… You were too far away for me to sense…"

"Guess that makes sense… But wait! What about that cat plush? He seemed to have found me quickly enough. Didn't you send him to find me?" Mahiru asked. It explained the little creature's words of Kuro not knowing where he was at the very least. Kuro shook his head "no" before taking a sip of his tea.

"…I didn't…" he replied once he had finished with his sip.

"Then…how come he found me so quickly?"

Kuro fiddled with his cup for a moment. He had a strong feeling that his inner demon was the one that had moved Mahiru away from him in the first place and closer to where it was. The quiet laughter that he could now hear echoing in his mind confirmed that thought. He sighed heavily, now realizing that he had been played from the very beginning.

"Kuro?" Mahiru questioned when he saw the vampire's body slump slightly against the couch when he sighed.

"…it was the one that moved you from me in the first place, Mahiru… …Hurting you…was never its goal…" he stated softly.

"But I thought that you had said…" Mahiru started before trailing off as he comprehended Kuro's statement. "Oh… I see… …I was bait…so then it could get to you… But, why did it want you in the first place, Kuro? Couldn't you have…I dunno…just spoke with it mentally?"

Kuro looked back down to his tea and was silent for a long moment. "I don't…really like to interact with it… …it's rather exhausting…"

Mahiru got the feeling that there was more being left unsaid but didn't pry any further into the issue. "Do you know why it wanted to meet with you last night?"

"…kinda… We didn't…really speak…" Kuro murmured almost too quietly for Mahiru to hear.

Mahiru was slightly confused about that statement before he remembered what Kuro's condition had been like last night. He had truly looked to be in pain and about ready to collapse. It had looked like Kuro had been standing from sheer will power alone, which was unusual for the vampire because he usually didn't like to put that much effort into things. And standing when he was clearly struggling to stay on his feet had seemed like a rather troublesome thing to do to Mahiru. **[His agony took a back seat to your well-being~ I told you, Ma~hi~ru~ The little kitty cat is rather fond of you~]**

Mahiru startled rather violently when he heard the softly spoken words belonging to the plush cat in his ear. His sudden jolt caused Kuro to flinch slightly and he almost spilled his tea because of it. "Mahiru…?" came Kuro's question. Even though it was said in his usual bored sounding drawl, Mahiru could now pick out the undertone of concern in his voice. He wasn't sure how he had missed it before but maybe…maybe he was starting to understand Kuro a little bit better…

A slight nudge, courtesy of Kuro's socked foot, brought Mahiru back from his musings. "Sorry Kuro, I just got distracted for a moment," Mahiru replied as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Kuro watched him for a moment before deeming that Mahiru was telling him the truth and he went back to his tea, sipping it slowly. It allowed for Mahiru to collect his thoughts again. His mind drifted back to Kuro's condition that he had seen last night and the whispered words suddenly came back to him _'His agony…'_ Mahiru glanced over to Kuro again and studied him. He felt some sort of velvety soft sensation brush against his mind slightly before it was gone, and he knew then that Kuro knew that he was watching him again, even if the vampire's eyes were closed as he enjoyed his warm tea. The sensation only brought up more questions, questions he was sure that Kuro would not answer, so he shelved those thoughts for later. Right now though, Mahiru was only concerned about one thing.

"Kuro…" he said before waiting for the vampire to acknowledge him. Kuro eventually looked back over to him, his sleepy gaze fixing on him as he waited for his Eve to speak again.

"Kuro… Are you…in any kind of pain?" Mahiru asked. Kuro didn't respond to him, not even with his usual melodramatics, but Mahiru didn't need him to. The tremors he had seen last night were gone, but it was obvious that the Servamp was still hurting, even if he was hiding it pretty well. Mahiru sighed quietly before speaking up again, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"…don't worry about me, Mahiru… It's not that bad," was Kuro's answer. Of course, that only made Mahiru worry all the more.

"But still! This is the first time that I've seen a vampire still hurting after so long! Your wounds usually heal so quickly!"

Kuro sighed in exhaustion. He hadn't meant to let Mahiru know that his body was still hurting like hell, but he just didn't have the energy to put up his "don't care" façade and attitude. It was much easier to just sit here and try to numb his mind and try to forget that he was in any pain to begin with. "It's not physical…Mahiru… Can't really do much about it," he replied before finishing off his tea.

Mahiru deflated a little at that. He wanted to help Kuro, but he couldn't really do anything until he understood what, exactly, was wrong. "Are you just sore, or…?" he tried to push.

"Ugh, Mahiru, drop it. I just don't wanna move," Kuro couldn't help but to whine at him tiredly.

"You know, you can be a major pain yourself, Kuro," Mahiru grumbled at the vampire, but left the issue alone regardless. "So…when did you get hurt? I'm…pretty sure that the little plush was with me the whole time…"

Kuro remained silent, but feeling Mahiru's expectant eyes on him almost made him cave. _Almost._ He had told Mahiru that he would explain…but… "You're really bothersome… Can't you see that a cute cat like myself just wants to relax?" he tried to stall.

Next to him Mahiru rolled his eyes. "You're not even in cat form! You can't use that excuse!"

"Nya," Kuro deadpanned at him. "I'm done talking for now. I'm gonna take a nap~" Kuro said as his eyes closed and he leaned back against the couch.

Mahiru couldn't help the sigh of aggravation that left him when he heard and saw that. He couldn't even shake Kuro awake because he was hurt! "One more question before you go to sleep, Kuro? Please?" Mahiru couldn't help but to plead with him.

Kuro cracked an eye open to look at him tiredly. At least he was willing to hear him out. However, before Mahiru could voice his question did something occur to him. Kuro hadn't seen him in the memory so, how was the vampire supposed to know what it was that he was talking about? **[He knows~ He's the one who pulled you out of the memory after our little… "talk"~]** the voice belonging to Kuro's inner demon whispered in his ear again. Mahiru kept from flinching at the unexpected voice this time. He would _definitely_ be bringing this up to Kuro after his nap.

"Umm…the woman that I saw in your memory was your Eve I'm guessing… What…what was her name?" Mahiru eventually asked. He didn't want to keep calling her "woman" or "stranger" in his mind. He felt that it was rather rude, especially since she seemed to have been Kuro's first Eve.

Kuro just gazed at him tiredly before shutting his eye again. Whelp, there was Mahiru's answer. Kuro did not want to speak about it any longer, and Mahiru was definitely not going pry for any more information. If Kuro wanted to tell him, then he'd tell him. He sighed quietly before getting up off the couch. "Kuro, you can stretch out if you need to. I'll be tidying up a bit. Call for me if you need anything!" he said before he went to grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast. He went to get dressed afterwards, even though there was a good possibility that he would not be leaving the house today. He wasn't one for staying in his night clothes all day, unlike _some_ people he could name. As he started to tidy up his mind became a whirlwind of thoughts and questions that he knew would not get answered. At least, they wouldn't get answered right now. He hadn't really given Kuro much reason to trust in him yet. _'Well…it's a start… He answered more than I thought that he would… Maybe he'll be up for telling me a little more after he's rested… …maybe…'_

Sighing quietly Mahiru continued on with tidying up the apartment. There wasn't much that needed to be cleaned, but it kept him busy, seeing as he was kind of stuck inside today. He checked in on Kuro periodically, noticing that the Servamp never really did uncurl from his ball. It didn't look comfortable at all but…Mahiru didn't want to disturb him, so he left it alone. With nothing else to really do, Mahiru wandered back into the living room and carefully sat back down on the couch, trying not to jostle the sleeping vampire. It was still too early for him to start making lunch and he wasn't hungry enough to get a snack either. With Kuro sleeping, Mahiru really had nothing to do. Who knew that he wouldn't miss having his quiet, simple life now that he had a taste of it again? Mahiru had just leaned his head back against the couch and had just closed his eyes when Kuro suddenly spoke up.

"…Eve…" he said softly.

Mahiru blinked his eyes open before looking over to Kuro, "Huh?" _'That's the first time that he's ever called me that…'_

"…her name… …it was Eve…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I felt that this chapter was a bit more relaxed compared to the previous ones, something that the poor guys needed. Mahiru's starting to learn when it's okay to push for answers and when it's not, and Kuro's learning to open up a little more as well! Next chapter may be another slow one, if only to get the story set up for the next part. I'm finally going to be moving on past one day. They're having one long weekend, that's for sure! We've also learned what Kuro's first Eve's name was. I do have a reason for it! I'll ask you guys if you want to see Kuro reveal the reason in the next chapter, or if you want me to write it in the form of a memory/flash back in a later chapter. Please let me know what you would prefer! (Honestly, I don't mind either way, but I'd like your opinions on the matter!) Next chapter probably won't be up until next Friday or Saturday! If you're enjoying the story, please leave a review, fav or follow! See you all in the next chapter!


	8. Slow Recovery

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I want to thank everyone that has left a review, fav or follow! I love seeing them! The small poll from the last chapter has ended, and I've made my decision on it! This chapter was a bit hard for me to start, but once I got past the first few paragraphs things started to fall into place. It just took me a little longer than I had wanted due to me falling ill this weekend, so I didn't feel like working on anything, but I managed to finish the chapter and get it typed up! I actually quite like this chapter and how it turned out.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 Slow Recovery**

The silence stretched on between them after Kuro had told Mahiru his first Eve's name. Mahiru had been stunned into silence, and Kuro was just waiting for the explosion that was to come. The vampire wasn't even sure why he had said anything in the first place. It wasn't as if Mahiru had been pushing for the answer, he had just been curious. He didn't have to tell him, but he had, and it was too late now to take it back.

Eventually the silence started to become too much for Kuro. He had been sure that Mahiru would have said or asked something by now, but when his Eve continued to be silent it started to unnerve the Servamp slightly. Mahiru was not a quiet person, not by a long shot. He chanced opening his eyes again and looking over to Mahiru, and was startled to see his Eve looking back at him with unshed tears shining in his bright eyes. Seeing that made Kuro's heart constrict slightly with an emotion that he couldn't place. He didn't like being the cause of pain and hurt, especially to his Eve. So, he did the only thing that he could, and that was to shy away from his over emotional Eve. "Mahiru? What's with the look…?"

Hearing his tired voice seemed to have snapped Mahiru out of whatever state of mind that he was in, because his Eve suddenly scrubbed at his face with a sleeve. When he finished and had composed himself Mahiru looked back to Kuro with a soft smile. "Sorry, Kuro," he said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Kuro still gave him a wary look. He did not want Mahiru to bring up his first Eve again, since it seemed to make him rather emotional. The last thing that Kuro wanted to deal with right now was exhausting emotions and the exhausting teen that brought them out. Mahiru must have been able to read his expression rather well because all his Eve did was to give him a bright smile. It was enough to get the vampire to relax slightly again.

It wasn't long though before Kuro could hear Mahiru moving restlessly on the couch beside him. Man…Mahiru did not know the meaning of the word 'relax', even if his life were to depend on it! He closed his eyes again, counted to ten in his mind before looking over to his Eve. Mahiru was doing his best to keep still and quiet, but his bouncing leg and restless shifting told Kuro that this was difficult for the normally active Eve. "Mahiru…" he started, and as soon as Mahiru was looking at him again did he continue, "…you don't…have to stay here with me…" he finished quietly.

Mahiru shook his head 'no'. "I can't just leave you here, Kuro. You're hurt! It's not right for me to just up and leave you. What if you need me?"

The Servamp of Sloth gazed at his Eve tiredly. "I can't deal with this side of you… You're so exhausting…" he murmured quietly. And Mahiru was exhausting, at least he was to Kuro. It wasn't just Mahiru's seemingly boundless energy as he tried to do everything himself, but it was also the way that Mahiru had somehow managed to slip past the incredibly high walls of apathy that he had built up around himself. Mahiru made him remember and feel things that he did not wish to. His Eve was even managing to make him a little more motivated to do things… And he hated it. He hated feeling this way. He did not _want_ to actually feel anything anymore. It was much easier to just ignore all of these annoying and conflicting emotions, to just shove them into the darkest depths of his heart and mind and forget that he even had them to begin with. Mahiru was starting to chip away at his uncaring and laissez-faire attitude and he needed to put a stop to that. Nothing good had ever came from him when he cared about and tried to protect things… Mahiru was a good example of that… His young Eve had been suddenly thrust into a world of supernatural beings and war because of him…because he had been selfish and had been craving some kind of interaction. He had changed into his human form that day, knowing full well that the boy who had picked him up would find him like that. He tried to tell himself otherwise, that it was just his bad luck and inattentiveness to the time, but he knew better deep down. And it was because of his selfishness that the boy who had been so kind to him when he had been a cat had gotten so hurt.

"…Kuro? Hey, Kuro…are you okay?" he heard Mahiru question him quietly, his voice laced with concern.

Kuro blinked slowly and the expression on his face changed, alarming his Eve even more than he previously had been. "Ah…sorry Mahiru," he heard himself say, not wanting Mahiru to pry deeper. He didn't want to cause any more trouble for his already troublesome Eve.

"You sure, Kuro? You know you can talk to me about anything," his Eve said to him as he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. The added pressure on his shoulder almost made him grimace from the renewed pain, but he somehow managed to keep his expression from shifting. Kuro needed to put a stop to this. He didn't deserve the kindness and caring that Mahiru was showing him. He needed to put some distance between them again. His walls had already been lowered enough that Mahiru had been able to slip inside and touch his heart, reminding him of feelings and emotions that he had discarded long ago. He knew that he would not be able to shut Mahiru out completely, it was too late for that, but he could do his best to keep Mahiru an arms' length away from now on, and to not let him in any further.

With his resolve to do just that renewed slightly did the Servamp shrug off Mahiru's hand before he stood up, letting the blanket that had been around his shoulders pool to the floor in a heap. He needed to quickly think of some place where he could go that his Eve would not follow him. Mahiru was standing up as well now and reaching out for him again. He shifted slightly, even though his muscles screamed in pain from just that slight movement alone, to dodge Mahiru's outstretched hand. The flash of hurt that passed over Mahiru's face instantly made Kuro's resolve waver. _'Sorry…Mahiru… I don't want you to get hurt by being so close to me…'_

Before his resolve weakened any further did Kuro turn slightly and silently head deeper into the apartment. When he heard Mahiru following after him, the Servamp adjusted his course a bit and went into the bathroom. He flicked the lights on before turning to give Mahiru a glare that just _dared_ him to follow him in. His Eve definitely looked hurt and confused at his actions and sudden change in demeanor, but a spark of determination was starting to make its way back into his Eve's eyes. It was a sure sign that a rather exhausting, and loud, argument was going to happen. Rather than face it head on, Kuro stepped fully into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. The vampire couldn't help but to lean back against the door slightly once he was safely inside. The pressure on his back was painful, but he didn't make any moves to go further in. He could sense Mahiru's growing frustration as he battled with himself on whether he should try and open the door or not. Kuro made the decision for him as he locked the door, and the quiet click reverberated loudly in the otherwise quiet apartment. He knew Mahiru had finally gotten his hint for solitude when he heard his Eve huff angrily out in the hall before leaving. "Sorry…" he whispered.

He sighed wearily before he finally pushed himself up off the door. The bathroom wasn't exactly where he had wanted to go, but now that he was here, he may as well make use of it. He softly padded his way over to the rather large and deep tub before starting to run the water. He'd soak and relax a bit, and hope that the hot water soothed more than just his aching muscles. While drawing his bath, Kuro retrieved a fluffy towel before gingerly undressing. It still hurt to move after all, and he wanted to mitigate as much pain as he possibly could. He shut off the faucet before easing into the hot, relaxing water. Kuro took a deep breath before exhaling and finally relaxed a little as he leaned back slightly. He let the tension that had been clinging to him fall off him as he tried to blank his mind. He didn't want to think right now. He just wanted to be in blissful emptiness for a little while. Kuro had just closed his eyes to relax fully when he heard the quiet laughter of his inner demon again. He couldn't help the groan of frustration that left him as he sank a bit further into his bath. He just wanted to _relax_. He wanted to relax and _forget_ , so why was everything determined to see to it that he couldn't?

 **[You know that Mahiru won't let up on this.]**

"Shut up… I don't wanna deal with you right now."

 **[Heeheehee~! What's the matter, little kitty cat~? Is the pain clouding your mind~?]**

Kuro growled lowly but didn't respond further. Hopefully if he ignored it long enough, it would leave him alone. However, it seemed that it was not to be.

 **[Your Eve can take the pain away, you know~ All you have to do is ask him~]**

"…not gonna happen… I've hurt him enough as is…"

 **[Ah~ How** _ **noble**_ **of you~]** the little demon sneered at him hatefully. **[You won't be able to protect him, Kuro. You'll fail~ You'll fail, you'll fail, you'll fail~!]** it sing-song at him gleefully, causing Kuro to flinch violently. **[You'll fail, Kuro. Just like all of the other times that you've tried to protect others~]** it whispered into his ear before a myriad of unwanted images flashed before Kuro's eyes. The sudden images were unexpected and Kuro couldn't help the strangled yell that left him as he shut his eyes tightly, covered his ears and pulled his knees up this chest in a vain attempt to block the memories out. He could vaguely hear Mahiru shouting for him as his Eve tried futilely to get the door opened. He heard Mahiru pound on the door a few times before hearing him run down the hall to get something.

"St-Stop… …please…st-stop…" he couldn't help but to whine quietly. He didn't need to see all of his past mistakes and failures to know that he was useless. He already _knew_ that he was. He _knew_ that he was a _mistake_ , a _failure_ , a _**monster**_. He didn't need his inner demon rubbing salt into his open wounds for him to get the picture.

 **[You poor, pathetic little boy. Just how long do you intend to run? You can't escape~ You know what to do to get the pain to cease~ Trust your Eve, Kuro.]**

The images suddenly stopped their assault as the demon left, but Kuro didn't uncurl from his position. His heavy panting was the only thing that could be heard in the otherwise still bathroom until the small click of the lock sounded. It wasn't but a second after that that the door was pretty much slammed open and his panicked Eve came rushing in and over to the side of the tub. "Kuro! Are you okay?! I heard your yelling and you sounded hurt!"

Kuro had removed his hands from his ears by the time Mahiru had reached him, and he was staring blankly into the water. His knees were still up against his chest as he tried to calm his racing heart. His breathing was still a bit erratic and his lack of response to Mahiru's questions were only further panicking his already panicked Eve. "Kuro… I just want to help you…" Mahiru said to him softly. "Please don't push me away. We're supposed to be partners… I know that I haven't been the best partner to you but… I want to be that 'someone' that you can eventually rely on."

It took a moment but Kuro eventually gathered his courage up to look at his Eve again. He took in Mahiru's worried expression as he hovered over him slightly from the outside of the tub. Trust his Eve…huh? His inner demon was annoying and exhausting to deal with even on the best of days but…it was still a part of him. And…even though he was usually at odds with it…the little creature usually did not steer him wrong, even if it did make its point across in the most tortuous and painful way that it could. Kuro leaned back slightly again, grateful that Mahiru was being quiet and giving him time to collect himself again. Obviously, trying to shut Mahiru out was not going to work. He knew that Mahiru was too stubborn to give up and he was sure that his inner demon would not let up on its assault if he were to try again. _'…all right…you win… …I won't push him out again… Just…'_

The quiet laughter returned for a moment before it vanished again. **[That's a good kitty~ Learn to** _ **trust**_ **again, Kuro. You may even be able to protect this one~]**

Kuro sighed quietly before speaking to Mahiru, "…sorry, Mahiru…"

His Eve blinked before a gentle smile appeared on his face. "Nothing to be sorry about, Kuro. I don't know exactly what's going on in your mind, but you looked overwhelmed before you got up off the couch," he replied.

"…I just…don't want you to get hurt…because of me…"

"And you thought that I'd be safer if you distanced yourself from me?"

" _Yes._ Mahiru, I sometimes wonder if you remember that I am a _vampire_ ; a _**monster**_. I'm not someone…that you should put your trust into."

"I'll be the judge of that, Kuro," Mahiru replied which caused Kuro to look back up to his Eve in surprise. "I do happen to remember that you're a vampire, but that's not what I see when I look at you. I see a kind-hearted person who has built up an apathetic nature to protect himself due to events that were beyond his control. …I also see a fiercely protective warrior that's been buried deep beneath a lazy attitude, because that warrior was used and abused so much in the past. I don't see anything resembling a monster when I look at you, Kuro. I just see…Kuro."

Kuro was silent for a moment as he studied Mahiru's face. There was nothing there that gave off the vibe of being lied to. Mahiru was speaking from the heart, and meant every word that he had said. Kuro sighed heavily before leaning back further and closed his eyes again. "You're such a pain, you know?"

He heard Mahiru chuckle at his statement. "Considering you tell me that just about every day, I'm pretty sure that I know," he replied. "I'll let you continue to soak in peace now, but don't hesitate to call for me if you need help getting up! I can tell that you're still in pain, Kuro," Mahiru said before Kuro heard him stand back up from the kneeling position that he had been in.

Kuro kept his eyes closed, even when he heard his Eve close the door behind him with a soft click. A moment later he uncurled and tried to relax again. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at his hand before sighing quietly and letting it drop back into the water. "…you don't see a monster, huh? …that's a rather tall order that you've given me, Mahiru… …I hope that I can…live up to your expectations…"

Kuro stayed soaking in the bath until the water turned luke-warm. The soak had taken the edge off of his aching, sore body a little, but it wasn't enough. He sighed once more before getting out and draining the bath as he carefully dried off. He had been hoping that he wouldn't need to ask Mahiru, but it was looking like he was going to have to anyways. It was bothersome, but he knew that he would be of no use to Mahiru as he was. Just the lightest of touches had his body screaming in agony, so fighting would see him on his knees within moments. Once he was sufficiently dried and dressed again, he headed back out to the living room where Mahiru was waiting for him. Upon seeing him enter, Kuro watched as his Eve went a bright red and hid his face from him. "Mahiru? What's gotten into you?"

"Uhm… I uh… I'm sorry!"

Kuro looked at him, not quite understanding what his Eve was apologizing for. He had made a rather convincing speech to him just a little bit ago, so he didn't know where this apology was coming from. "Sorry?" he questioned as he shuffled further into the living room.

Mahiru's face turned a darker shade of red as he stuttered out, "I… I d-didn't mean to walk in on you bathing! I-It's just, I heard you yelling in pain and I wasn't thinking!"

"And…you just now realized that…?" the vampire questioned as some amusement filtered into his voice, glad that it was just Mahiru's shyness about these things instead of something else. And while it was amusing that it had taken his Eve this long to realize what he had done, it did pose a bit of a problem. What he needed to ask of his Eve was not going to help matters. He had been around long enough, and had seen and read enough bad romance novels and shoujo manga, to know that asking for blood right now would only make things more awkward. He'd have to ask later, when Mahiru got over his embarrassment about it.

"It's not funny, Kuro!" Mahiru exclaimed as Kuro made his way to the couch again.

"It kinda is," the vampire replied as he sat down next to Mahiru, and a small hiss of pain left him unintentionally.

Immediately Mahiru's expression of embarrassment changed to one of concern. "…Is there anything at all that I can do to help?" he asked, not liking how pained his Servamp sounded. He didn't know much about Servamps or vampires in general, but he did know that they healed quickly. So, the fact that Kuro was clearly still in pain was rather worrisome.

"…ah…well… I guess there is…" Kuro replied as he leaned back against the couch.

Mahiru gave him an irritated look, "I thought that you told me that there wasn't anything that I could do to help you."

"Ah… I had hoped that the pain would let up as the day wore on… …but…that's not gonna be the case," he replied.

"And you didn't tell me this earlier, why?"

Kuro sighed before slouching a bit more into the couch. "Too bothersome."

Mahiru was not impressed with Kuro's answer. "So? How can I help?" he eventually asked when it became apparent that Kuro wasn't going to tell him.

Kuro hesitated. He didn't like drinking blood, even though he was a vampire. He did his best to minimize any biting and blood drinking that he had to do. He really only partook in blood drinking when he absolutely had to, which usually meant when he was fighting. He must have taken too long to answer because he had Mahiru trying to catch his attention again. "Kuro? What do I need to do?" he asked again.

"Ah, this is so bothersome…" he sighed again. When he saw Mahiru's unrelenting gaze he knew that he couldn't stall any longer. "I need blood, Mahiru," he started to say and he saw his Eve's eyes widen slightly and his blush returned, like Kuro thought that it would, "but if you're not comfortable with it, I can wait," he finished.

"N-No, it's all right, Kuro. You've been suffering since last night. It's not right to let you continue hurting when I can do something to help," Mahiru quickly reassured. It was a bit embarrassing for the young Eve considering what he had seen, but Kuro's nonchalant attitude, and his amusement about the situation, was calming him down some. If Kuro wasn't embarrassed about it then…he shouldn't let it get to him either. It was just hard to get the image out of his mind with Kuro watching him with his usual lazy gaze.

"Such a pain…" Kuro complained before he suddenly took hold of Mahiru's wrist. He just wanted to get it over with. He wasn't going to enjoy this any more than Mahiru was, though for a completely different reason than his Eve.

"H-Hey!" Mahiru exclaimed when he was suddenly grabbed. A tired, pained look from his Servamp had him shutting up and he sighed before nodding slightly, letting Kuro know that it was okay. Mahiru still turned away slightly when he saw Kuro open his mouth and his fangs became more noticeable. It was still a bit embarrassing, since this wasn't a fighting for their life kind of thing. Plus, this was also the first time that Kuro had actively asked for blood, which made it feel more intimate to the young Eve than what it probably was. He still winced slightly when he felt the double pin pricks in his arm, but that pain soon dulled away.

He was still a blushing mess when he felt Kuro let go of him and he saw the chain connecting them flare into life. He took a moment to compose himself before glancing at the Servamp again. Kuro's eyes were closed and he was breathing in deeply, but Mahiru had to admit that he did look better. It was as if the tension that the vampire held was slowly melting off of him. "Feel any better, Kuro?" he asked after a moment.

"Mmhmm…" Kuro hummed back to him in contentment. Even though he didn't like to drink blood, Kuro had to admit that the pain he had been feeling was starting to ease away. He'd thank Mahiru as soon as the warm, pleasant feeling that was spreading through him and easing away his pain went away. Right now though, he finally felt relaxed, and he didn't want to disturb that.

Kuro must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes again he found that he had been covered with his blanket again and he had been using his Eve's shoulder as a pillow. His shifting alerted Mahiru that he was awake again, for he felt Mahiru move to pause whatever game he had been playing to pass the time before he felt the Eve pat his head gently. "Glad to see you awake again."

Kuro couldn't help but to yawn tiredly before getting up off his Eve. He stretched slightly before replying to Mahiru. "…didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep…" he murmured sleepily.

He heard Mahiru chuckle at him, "I kinda figured that when you suddenly just slumped onto me. It didn't look like you had slept at all last night, so I didn't want to wake you back up."

"…thanks…Mahiru…"

Mahiru gave him another brilliant and sunny smile. "It's no problem, Kuro," he replied. "I'm glad that you're feeling better though," he went on to say. "After the week that we've had, I think that the two of us deserve to relax this weekend, what do you think, Kuro?"

"I think that you already know my answer, Mahiru," Kuro replied as he settled back against the couch. Spending the rest of the weekend relaxing and playing video games sounded like a plan to the vampire. And this time, it seemed that he was actually going to have an actual partner join him, instead of a worrying, nagging mess of an Eve. While he wouldn't admit it out loud, he was glad that Mahiru was starting to unwind and spend time doing things with him. A partnership, and the trust that goes with it, wasn't built on fighting alone, after all.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This chapter was a lot of fun to write once I started getting into it. I felt like these two needed something like this to set them on their path to growing as friends and partners. I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter! The next one may take me a little longer to get out. My final has been pushed up my two weeks, so I'll be working on getting ready for that. I'll still try to get the next chapter out next weekend, but we shall see! If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review, fav or follow! See you all in the next chapter!


	9. Bond

**Author's Note:** Man, I am so very sorry it has taken me this long to get this chapter up. I had to put my writing on hold last month due to having to take my final for my Student Teaching Seminar, and let me tell you that took a _lot_ of time and energy on my part. Not only that, but I also had to finish up several papers for the class as well as put my portfolio together. I swear, when I went to turn my portfolio in, it had to have weighed at least five pounds. The other reason why this chapter has taken me so long to get done was that I kept getting stuck and had to leave it for a while before trying to continue on. It took me a while to get into the pace of writing for this fic again, plus I had to do some mild research for one small section. I have also been torn on how to approach the time line that's in the manga. I started the fic at a strange place in the manga, and now I'm paying for it by trying to figure out how to fit this chapter in so then I can continue, thankfully I have overcome that problem, so I'm back on track with that! Whew, now that that is done, I would like to thank everyone that has left a review, fav or follow! I love seeing them!

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 **Chapter 9 Bond**

The rest of the weekend passed on quietly. There were no more surprise trips into Kuro's mind, and the vampire had gone back to being his usual lazy self. While normally seeing Kuro lazing around the apartment would have irritated Mahiru to no end, the Eve let it slide this time. Kuro had had a rather stressful weekend, so the least that he could do was to let him rest and laze around. Besides, Mahiru was starting to learn that by pushing Kuro into doing things it caused the vampire to dig his heels in more and resist his attempts. However, if he were to just casually mention or suggest something, Kuro would eventually get around to doing it. It wasn't the best system, but it was all that Mahiru had that seemed to be working at the moment.

It was early morning and school was back in session for the week. Mahiru was already up and ready, but Kuro was still sleeping soundly on the futon. They needed to eat breakfast soon or else they'd be late, so Mahiru had the task of trying to wake the sleeping vampire up. "Kuro! Get up you slacker! We'll be late if you don't get moving soon!"

Kuro groaned tiredly and moved to cover himself more with his blanket. It was way too early for this. Sleep sounded so much better than going to school any day of the week. However, he knew that Mahiru would flay him alive if he made them late. So it was with reluctance that the vampire removed his nice warm blanket away from him just as Mahiru entered the room to yell at him again.

"Oh…you're getting up," Mahiru said in surprise when he saw Kuro's sleep hazed eyes shift slightly to look over to him. "Hurry and get dressed, Kuro! Your breakfast will get cold if you wait any longer!" he said, leaving only once he saw Kuro sit up. He heard the vampire mumble a sleepy "What a pain…" as he left, causing Mahiru to smile at his complaining. He was glad that Kuro was feeling himself again, even if that meant that he had to deal with the vampire's complaints and demands. Mahiru had just sat down to start on his breakfast when Kuro wandered into the living room, still looking as sleepy as ever. "Hurry up, Kuro! We have to leave soon!"

"…yeah, yeah… …heard you the first time…" the vampire replied sleepily as he sat down at the table. Like always Kuro slumped over so he was practically laying on the table as he flicked on the news once again.

"You know Kuro…I never really took you as the type of person who followed the news regularly," Mahiru pointed out.

Kuro slumped even further onto the table into a relaxed state as he started on his breakfast. (Mahiru had no idea how the vampire managed to do that and still look as comfortable as he was.) Kuro answered Mahiru after he had taken a few bites of his breakfast, "…just like to see the weather and a few other little things, Mahiru," he replied as the weather came up.

"Guess that makes sense…" Mahiru replied as he heard Kuro curse about it being sunny once again, causing Mahiru to have to hide a grin. He really was glad that Kuro was feeling better. He hadn't liked seeing him in so much pain. Mahiru had decided against saying anything to Kuro about hearing the cat plush in his mind. He hadn't heard it since it spoke to him the one day and he was chalking the strange experience up to their bond deepening a bit. He had been pulled into Kuro's mind unexpectedly and had interacted with it more deeply this time, after all. He had decided that if it happened again then he would say something to Kuro. He felt no need to stress the vampire out when he knew that Kuro did not really get along with the plush. However, he did want to speak with Kuro about that velvety sensation that he had felt brushing against his mind. It had felt strange, not unpleasant, just strange, and he wanted to know what it was. Or, at the very least, he wanted to see if his theory was correct and it was their bond deepening a bit or something similar to that. This conversation though was something to be held later this evening, not now when he needed to finish getting ready for school.

Before long it was time for Mahiru to leave, which prompted Kuro into complaining about having to go to school too. Mahiru rolled his eyes at Kuro's dramatics once again before pulling open the curtains, causing the vampire to poof into his kitten form. Mahiru couldn't help but to grin at Kuro's disgruntled look before he picked up his school bag. He felt Kuro settle on his shoulder with one of his lazy meows as they left the apartment. As he walked along the familiar route to his high school, Mahiru couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face as he reached up with his free arm to scratch behind Kuro's ears slightly. He heard a surprised 'prrt?' from his Servamp before he felt Kuro relax and melt into the touch with a soft purr and a contented sigh.

Mahiru had made a personal goal for himself over the weekend. He wanted to strive to be a better Eve to Kuro. The memory that he had seen had made him realize that he really wasn't trying to understand his partner. He was not an Eve that Kuro was completely comfortable with and he wanted to fix that. He knew that it wasn't going to be an overnight change and he was sure that he was going to make plenty of mistakes along the way, but all that he could do was to try his best and make sure that he didn't lose sight of what was important to him. Mahiru already knew that he would never be able to replace Kuro's first Eve in his heart, and he didn't want to. He wanted to become that 'someone' that Kuro could depend on again. He wanted Kuro to be able to rely on him for anything, to open up to him, to be comfortable enough to lower his guard when it was just the two of them.

Mahiru was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard his friends calling his name. His smile widened a bit as he waved back to them and he picked up his pace slightly to catch up to them. He heard Kuro complain quietly but by this point, Mahiru knew that the vampire didn't really mind the attention that he received from his classmates. He always had that look of contentment when he was fawned over after all. Before reaching the school Mahiru had to place Kuro inside his bag. He always felt slightly guilty doing so, what with knowing that his cat was actually a vampire and would probably like to be anywhere else other than in a small, cramped school bag, but for now they didn't really have a choice. With Tsubaki being unpredictable and his subclasses able to be out in the sun, plus the distance limit, it was just safer, and simpler, to merely keep Kuro close by.

The school day went on as it normally did. Mahiru diligently took notes, despite knowing that summer vacation was just around the corner. Lunch came around quickly enough and soon makeshift tables sprang up around the classroom as friends got together to chat. There were already a few of Mahiru's female classmates waiting impatiently for him to bring Kuro out of his bag as he got ready for lunch break as well. He had no sooner placed the yawning cat on top of his desk when one of the girls tried to snatch him up to cuddle with. For being so lazy, Mahiru couldn't help but to marvel slightly at Kuro's quick reflexes to slip right out of the girl's grasp before he lightly jumped onto his lap where the vampire settled into a little cat ball to sleep. It was a new, and slightly worrying, behavior from Kuro. He placed one hand on Kuro's back, but the vampire merely curled into a tighter ball before dozing off again.

Mahiru gave his classmates a sheepish smile before apologizing. "Sorry. Kuro wasn't feeling his best this weekend."

That statement was met with several disappointed sighs and mutterings before his classmates moved on. Mahiru glanced back down to Kuro as he lightly carded his fingers through his soft fur. He could feel the vampire purring softly at his petting before he removed his hand to get his own lunch ready. _'Kuro…are you still sore? Is that why you don't want to be held and cuddled by my classmates like usual?'_ the Eve couldn't help but to wonder. It was another thing that he would have to bring up later.

"Poor Kuro-chan. I hope that he feels better soon, Mahiru," Koyuki said as he sat down across from him.

"Yeah. It's weird not seeing him being lavished with attention. Makes a guy slightly jealous, ya know?" Ryuusei added as he opened the package that held his sandwich.

Mahiru smiled at his friends' worry. "I'm sure that Kuro will feel better soon. He'll be up to his usual antics again soon enough," he replied as he opened his lunch and grabbed his chopsticks. He had already taken a few bites of his lunch when he noticed that he had something extra in one of the compartments of his bento. Placing his chopsticks down he set out to untie the small cloth pouch that he didn't remember placing in his lunch. The pouch fell away to reveal three individually wrapped mochi, which caused Mahiru to stare at them for a moment until he realized that each had a name written on the outside of their packaging.

"Wow! Mahiru, did you make some mochi for us?" Koyuki asked excitedly when he saw the sweet that had his name written on it.

"Seriously?! Man Mahiru, it's been ages since you've made something to share," Ryuusei chimed in as well.

Mahiru couldn't help but to sigh quietly before handing the mochi over to his friends with a slight smile. He watched as Koyuki and Ryuusei eagerly took the mochi out of the little plastic pouches before enjoying them. He most certainly had not made any mochi for his friends, and his uncle had left earlier that weekend, which only left one other person that could have made them.

"These are so good, Mahiru!"

"And here I thought that the butter cookies that you had made before were good! What'd you do Mahiru? Stay up all night to get these perfect?" Ryuusei asked as he and Koyuki finished their sweets.

Mahiru laughed nervously at that. "N-No, haha! I…didn't think that they'd turn out as well as they did," he tried to cover. It wasn't as if he could tell them that his vampire partner had made them! His friends soon went back to their lunches and were happily distracted with their own conversation once again. It gave Mahiru the chance to glance down at the cat sleeping peacefully on his lap once again before he opened his own packaged mochi. If it was half as good as the ramen that Kuro had made, he would definitely be putting the lazy vampire to work in the kitchen. One bite had Mahiru determined to make Kuro in charge of meals. The lazy cat had to have had an Eve that had been a chef at one point during his long life. There was just no other explanation for how Kuro could make such divine food. It was another "casual suggestion" that he would have to make.

Lunch soon came to an end and classes resumed. Like always Mahiru struggled to understand the English lesson and was just as glad as the rest of his classmates when the bell sounded, signaling the end of the school day. As usual he walked home with his two friends and Kuro was once again lazing on his shoulder. If he wasn't mistaken, Kuro looked more relaxed than he had ever seen him before, and he also seemed to be in a rather good mood too, if the soft, content purring was any indication. It wasn't long before he parted ways with Koyuki and Ryuusei and was waving them off as he headed down the path that led to his apartment. Once they were well out of earshot Mahiru turned his attention to Kuro.

"Thanks, Kuro," he started out.

Kuro opened his eyes slightly to look at Mahiru for a moment before he closed them again with a yawn. "For what?" he mumbled sleepily.

Mahiru rolled his eyes slightly at his reply before picking the vampire up off of his shoulder to look at him better. "You know what for," he replied when Kuro opened his eyes again.

"Such a pain…" the vampire sighed.

Mahiru gave him an unimpressed look before he cradled the vampire turned cat to his chest. "You know Kuro…I wouldn't mind sampling more of your cooking sometime." The Eve heard Kuro's nonsensical meow at his suggestion. It wasn't an outright refusal, so Mahiru let it be, knowing that Kuro would eventually make him something else. Their walk home was quiet for a little while longer before Mahiru decided to take a small detour, which instantly caught Kuro's attention.

"Mahiru? Where are we going?" he asked as he slipped out of his Eve's hold to settle on his shoulder once again. This wasn't a familiar path back to the apartment, nor did it lead to the store.

"There's a park that I used to play at when I was little…"

Kuro glanced over to Mahiru when he heard that. "…oh?" he questioned.

"It's a rather secluded and shaded place… There's usually no one around," Mahiru went on to say. He could tell that Kuro wasn't catching on to what he was implying, but that was fine by him. He wanted to check the park out to make sure that it was like he remembered; which was quiet and out of the way. It could be the perfect place for him to start his training. He hadn't been to this park for several years now, which was why he wanted to check to make sure that it was still being unused.

Kuro didn't say anything more and soon enough the park that Mahiru had mentioned came into view. It wasn't an overly large park and Kuro could see why it was pretty much devoid of children playing. It was rather…simple. There was a straight slide, a swing set that held four swings, a small sand box, a see saw, a monkey bar, and a few of those bouncy animals for small children to ride. There wasn't anything fancy to it, and quite honestly, it was a nice little park that was tucked away deep inside the urban jungle that surrounded it. While it looked like it hadn't been used recently, it was still being maintained.

Mahiru smiled slightly before making his way to the swing set and sat down on one of the swings. He felt Kuro jump off his shoulder and transform back into his human self before the NEET hesitantly took a seat beside him on another swing. "It hasn't changed at all," Mahiru remarked.

Kuro just hummed quietly, not quite sure how to reply or even knowing why they had stopped here to begin with. The vampire glanced at his Eve with a heavily lidded gaze and watched as Mahiru's warm brown eyes roamed around the small park. He was obviously reminiscing about a much simpler time, and it made guilt claw at his heart. He was the reason why Mahiru's simple and peaceful life had been shattered. It was his fault. _All his fault._ A shadow was cast over the vampire's eyes as he slouched a bit more on his swing.

 **[Kuro's in need of you again, Mahiru~]** a familiar voice purred softly into the Eve's ear. It was said in barely a whisper but it still jolted Mahiru out of his thoughts, and when he heard nothing further he passed it off as his mind playing tricks on him. Still… He glanced back to Kuro, only to see that his partner's expression was clouded over by a shadow and his posture spoke volumes. Mahiru could practically feel Kuro's guilt eating away at him. It was almost suffocating, causing Mahiru to shudder slightly as his breath caught in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe.

"K-Kuro?" he managed to stutter out.

Hearing his name seemed to have snapped the vampire out of whatever depressing thoughts he had been sinking in to. The shadow that had crossed his face vanished and the suffocating aura went with it, leaving behind an exhausted looking Kuro. Mahiru could only watch as Kuro blinked lethargically before finally looking over to him in response to hearing his name. The vampire's usual look of absolute boredom and apathy was back and Mahiru got the distinct feeling that Kuro had just pulled his walls up. He could tell that if he tried to push for information about what Kuro had been thinking about the vampire would become standoffish with him. So instead he settled for asking him a simple question. "Are you okay, Kuro? You're still not hurting from this weekend, are you?"

While Mahiru knew that the hurt from this weekend probably wasn't the problem he at least wanted Kuro to speak with him and to lower his walls again. It made conversation between them rather stilted when they were up. Kuro remained silent, however. _'He's probably trying to figure out what to tell me,'_ Mahiru mused. He flashed the Servamp an encouraging smile, which made Kuro's frown deepen just a little more.

"You're such a pain in the ass…" Kuro eventually sighed out in a weary tone, "…but I'm okay, Mahiru," he finished quietly.

It wasn't much but Mahiru was able to tell that Kuro had lowered his walls a little bit. It seemed that he knew that his Eve was not going to press him for answers. It was faint, but Mahiru could feel that soft velvety sensation brush against his mind again. It held a small amount of warmth to it this time and it was difficult for Mahiru to place what that warmth meant. But, this was as good of an opportunity as any to ask about it. "Hey Kuro…" he started off before waiting for Kuro's acknowledging hum that he had heard him. "I was just wondering but…just now I felt a kind of…soft, velvet-like feeling against my mind. …it felt…warm… Do you know what it is? Is it just our contract? Or is it our connection? Your inner cat plush said something about a connection and kind of explained what it was."

A look of resignation passed over Kuro's features after Mahiru had asked his questions. The Eve had pretty much guessed what it was anyways, so there was no point in keeping quiet about it. He sighed heavily before replying with his usual exhausted tone. "…yeah, kinda… …I guess… If you're feeling something like that then it's most likely the connection between us."

"I see! So…what exactly does this connection entail? The plush didn't really go in to detail about it. It just said that it was a mental pathway."

"That pretty much sums it up… When we're fighting it's how I know what you want me to do after you've given me an order…" the vampire replied tiredly.

"I guess I can understand that… Oh! But Misono didn't give Lily a direct order, at least, not that I was able to hear the other night…"

Kuro yawned before replying, "Bastard-chan and Lily have had their contract for several years now… Their connection, their bond, no longer needs verbal orders. …Lily can feel what Bastard-chan's order is through their bond."

Mahiru sent a look over to Kuro. "I don't think Misono will take too kindly to you calling him that," he scolded lightly. All that he received back was a slight shrug of the vampire's shoulders, causing Mahiru to sigh in annoyance at Kuro's lack of caring. "Will you be able to do something like that now?"

"I dunno…" was Kuro's reply.

"How can you not know?! It's as much a part of you as it is me now!"

"Meh. The bond can work in different ways depending on the Eve…"

"What do you mean by that?!"

"…you're so demanding…and explaining all of this is a pain…"

Mahiru scowled at his Servamp before getting up off the swing to stand directly in front of Kuro. The vampire watched as he did so, but made no moves to get up himself. "Why do you have to be so difficult?! We're partners, Kuro! I'm still new to all of this!"

"Why are you being so loud?" was the response he received. Mahiru's scowl deepened and he was about to go off on his Servamp again when he felt it. The soft velvet-like sensation was back and it felt warmer than it had earlier and…was that amusement that he was feeling coming from it? His eyes narrowed slightly as he glared at the vampire in front of him. The feeling of amusement was still there before it finally clicked for Mahiru. He was feeling an echo of sorts of what Kuro was feeling. It didn't quite explain the warmth he felt but it certainly explained the amused feeling that wasn't his.

Kuro's gaze hadn't left his since he had stood up and, while his expression hardly changed, Mahiru did hear the quiet huff of laughter that came from the Servamp when Kuro realized that he had finally figured out what was going on. The young Eve couldn't help the tick mark that formed and before he could stop himself he had already launched himself at the vampire, knocking him off the swing as he tackled him to the ground with a loud thud and a surprised "Reeeowr!" from the vampire as they landed.

"You're such a jerk!" Mahiru exclaimed as they wrestled. He had somehow managed to grab onto the two tuffs of fur lining Kuro's hood that formed 'cat ears' and was tugging on them, causing Kuro's hood to obscure his vision as the vampire vainly tried to get Mahiru off of him.

"Why are you so abusive towards your cute little pet?!" Kuro shot back as he finally managed to grasp Mahiru's wrists to keep him from tugging on his hood any more.

Mahiru was still glaring at his Servamp even if he couldn't really move now. "You're not that cute!"

"So mean…"

The Eve continued to scowl down at the vampire, unsure of what to do until he noticed that not once had Kuro's amusement wavered, not even during their little tussle. _'Kuro thinks this is funny, huh?!'_ he thought furiously before he took a moment to assess the situation. Kuro was still pinned under him, his hands loosely gripping his wrists, even though Mahiru knew that the vampire could easily throw him off. His tired red eyes were watching him with an almost bored expression but…it contradicted what he was feeling from the vampire. Kuro was _amused._ Kuro…was having fun. He was having fun with their interactions, even if it didn't show on his face. Mahiru couldn't help the chuckle that left him when he realized that and he finally let go of Kuro's hood as he started to laugh more. Mahiru felt Kuro release his wrists but made no moves to push him off of him. In fact, he could actually feel the vampire relaxing, as if he was trying to melt into the ground that was under him. It was then that Mahiru felt the unknown warm feeling settle in his mind and he knew instinctively that it would not leave him. Not only did it feel warm and comforting but it also felt like safety. It…felt like Kuro. Now he understood what his Servamp had been trying to do. It was easier to experience the bond first hand rather than have it explained.

Eventually Mahiru stopped laughing and got up off the vampire and offered him his hand to help him back up. Kuro glanced at his offered hand before he took it, allowing Mahiru to help him back up into a sitting position. "You're still a jerk, Kuro," Mahiru huffed out before sitting on the swing that he had knocked Kuro off of. "Why didn't you just tell me that you were going to show me?"

"You didn't give me a chance to," was Kuro's lazy sounding reply.

"You were the one being difficult!"

Kuro shrugged slightly before responding, "You understand it better when you figure it out for yourself."

Mahiru scowled slightly but eventually dropped it with an irritated huff. "What else does this bond do for us?"

Kuro scratched at his cheek slightly before answering, "…well… I guess it also serves as a way for us to locate each other…"

"That could come in handy… But how does it work?"

"The further apart we are the less we can sense each other," Kuro yawned, dragging out the last few words.

Mahiru nodded at that explanation. It was a nice, simple one to understand. "Will I always be able to tell what you're feeling? For that matter, are you able to sense my emotions?"

"So bothersome…" the vampire complained, "but no, you won't always be able to feel what I'm feeling, nor will I always be able to tell what you are feeling. It'll just be sometimes…but I dunno what triggers those emotions to be felt."

"I guess that kind of makes sense…" Mahiru conceded. Kuro probably had a better control of sending and restricting feelings, but even Mahiru could tell that the vampire really didn't have a say in if those feelings came through their bond or not.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Mahiru noticed that Kuro seemed to be working up the nerve to tell him something. It was a few more minutes before the vampire felt motivated enough to do so.

"Hey…Mahiru…?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Ah, this is a pain but… I don't…need to be the one to decide if we fight or run…"

"Huh? But I thought…"

Kuro shook his head slightly in the negative. "I'll be content enough if you just take my words into consideration… You're the Eve, after all. You're the one that makes the final decision… I'll follow whatever orders that you give, even if they are bothersome…"

"Are you sure, Kuro? I don't mind letting you make those calls."

"I'm sure," was Kuro's final say in the matter.

"Well…okay then…" Mahiru replied. He wasn't quite sure what had brought out this subservient behavior, but he could tell that Kuro wasn't comfortable with the thought of being in charge. "Are you about ready to go home, Kuro?" Mahiru eventually asked as the street lights started to flicker on.

"…yeah," Kuro replied as he easily got to his feet. He followed after Mahiru in silence for a while before asking the question that had been bothering him ever since they had gone to the park. "So…what was the point in going there?"

Mahiru smiled at his question, even though Kuro couldn't see it. He stopped to face Kuro and saw the Servamp was waiting for his reply. "It's nice and secluded, don't you think so, Kuro?"

"…ah… I wasn't able to sense anyone near the place the entire time we were there…" he confirmed. He could feel a twinge of _something_ coming from Mahiru but his own sense of dread had quickly overwhelmed it.

"That's good! I've decided that that's where we're going to do our training!"

Kuro blinked at that rather bold statement. "…'our'…training…?"

"Yep! We don't really know how to fight together so…it's simplest if we train and work on it together!"

Kuro's shoulders slumped forward slightly, obviously not as enthused as his Eve was at the prospect of training. "…that sounds rather exhausting…"

"Everything is exhausting to you!" Mahiru replied hotly. He sighed heavily a moment later before looking at Kuro again. "…I felt absolutely useless in our last fight, Kuro… I was indecisive…and because of that you and Misono were hurt," he said before looking down.

Kuro was silent but Mahiru could hear his quiet footsteps coming closer to him. "…wasn't your fault, Mahiru… …it's…hard to go up against a friend…"

Mahiru glanced back up to Kuro and gave him a grateful smile. Hearing that made him feel better but… "Thanks Kuro, but you're still not getting out of this."

Kuro groaned in resignation before draping himself over Mahiru's shoulder. "You're such a cruel creature…forcing a cute little cat like myself to do something so exhausting," he complained.

Mahiru couldn't help but to roll his eyes at Kuro's dramatics. He was thankful for it though, as it put a smile back on his face and chased away his depressing thoughts. Kuro let go of him a moment later and the two continued their walk back to the apartment. While Mahiru knew that it was going to be a hard sell to get the lazy vampire to actually train with him, he was confident that he would be able to pull it off. After all, he could feel Kuro's contentment through their bond, despite the complaining he had just heard from him.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Even though it took me forever to get this chapter done, I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out, especially the second half of it. I always have a lot of fun writing interactions between characters, and Mahiru's and Kuro's interactions are among my favorite to write. I hope that I was able to clear up some questions that Mahiru has been meaning to ask! Though, I don't know just how helpful Kuro's answers were. If you've enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review, fav, or follow! See you all in the next chapter!


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